Methodologies That Improve Self-Compassion in Dementia Family Caregivers: A Systematic Review

This review aimed to identify methodologies that improve self-compassion among family caregivers with dementia using a systematic review approach and to obtain suggestions for building future support. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Minds Clinical Practice Guideline Development Manual 2020, ver. 3. Medical Journal Web, MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched. Three articles met the eligibility criteria for primary and secondary screening; they were reviewed by two investigators to evaluate the intervention program in terms of effectiveness and risk of bias. Although the intervention program, duration, and time differed across studies, all three studies found improved self-compassion after the intervention, suggesting that mindfulness-centered interventions are useful for improving self-compassion among family caregivers of people with dementia. However, due to the paucity of previous studies and differences in intervention content among the literature, it is not possible to say that these programs have been sufficiently validated, and that conducting randomized controlled trials would be beneficial.

Keywords: Family Caregivers, Patients with Dementia, Self-Compassion, Systematic Review.