Abstract
Much of the carer literature has focused on depression and burden as primary outcomes and anxiety appears somewhat neglected. Providing evidence on the prevalence of carer anxiety is critical as it can enhance awareness among professionals, which in turn can lead to improved access to efficacious treatments. This meta-analysis updated the previous review conducted in 2007 to estimate the up-to-date prevalence of anxiety in informal carers for people with dementia. Literature searches were conducted in databases of published and unpublished literature. Events and sample size data were pooled using a random-effects model to obtain an overall prevalence percentage. A total of 10 studies were included, resulting in a pooled estimate of anxiety prevalence at 32.1 percent (95%CI 20.6% to 46.2%, p=0.01). Significant heterogeneity was found, which was not reduced following sensitivity analysis. This study suggests anxiety is a prevalent difficulty experienced by dementia carers. Additional research recommendations and clinical implications are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 161-172 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 13 Aug 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 May 2020 |
Keywords
- Alzheimer disease
- carers
- dementia
- quality of life
- well-being
Profiles
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Naoko Kishita
- School of Health Sciences - Associate Professor in Dementia and Complexity in Later Life
- Lifespan Health - Member
- Dementia & Complexity in Later Life - Member
Person: Research Group Member, Research Centre Member, Academic, Teaching & Research