Supportive interventions for family caregivers of adults with mental illness: An integrative review

Abstract

Background: People of all ages, genders, social classes, income levels, and geographical regions can be affected by mental illness. Families of individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses face significant burdens, particularly due to their role as family caregivers.

Aim: This integrative review aims to characterize the interventions that support family caregivers to reduce their burden of caregiving.

Methodology: Whittemore and Knafl’s methodology guided this integrative literature review. CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO were searched for articles published between 2014 and 2023. Eighteen articles were identified as eligible studies to identify supportive interventions. These articles were then critically appraised and relevant data analyzed and synthesized to formulate the results.

Findings: The included studies reported interventions focused on family caregivers of relatives with mental illnesses. The two main themes of these studies are (a) interventions to offset the burden of caregiving and (b) outcomes related to these interventions. These interventions include psychoeducation, adaptive cognitive-behavioral strategies, peer support, and religious support.

Conclusion: Caring for a mentally ill family member is an extremely stressful situation for family caregivers. Supportive interventions found in this integrative review could help these family caregivers overcome their burdens.