McMasterLogo_New-2017-300x165
Back
Evidence Summary

What is an Evidence Summary?

Key messages from scientific research that's ready to be acted on

Got It, Hide this
  • Rating:

Perceived social support may be a good predictor of the burden perceived by caregivers

del-Pino-Casado R, Frías-Osuna A, Palomino-Moral PA, et al.  Social support and subjective burden in caregivers of adults and older adults: A meta-analysis  PloS one. 2018; 13(1): e0189874.

Review question

•    What is the relationship between social support and caregiver burden among caregivers of older adults?

Background

      Caring for a relative is a stressful experience that can have negative consequences on the health and well-being of caregivers. Social support, defined as care and assistance offered by one’s social network, has traditionally been thought of as an effective measure to alleviate caregiver stress. Previous studies have analyzed this relationship, indicating that social support reduces caregiver stress by: 1) assuring caregivers that support is available in times of stress; and 2) providing caregivers with adequate support when required. Although it is commonly accepted that access to social support will decrease caregiver stress, recent studies have suggested that the relationship may not be quite so clear.

      This systematic review examined research evidence about the effects of social support (both perceived and received) on the burden of caregivers of adults or older adults.

How the review was done

      A detailed search of a number of electronic databases was conducted for studies published from the date of establishment of the databases to September 2017. Studies that focused on social support, informal support, social network, perceived support, received support, burden, strain, role overload, caregiver and career were included in the review.

      A total of 5,710 studies were identified in the searches, and 56 were included in the review after assessments for eligibility.

      The authors received no specific funding for this work.

What the researchers found

      This systematic review reveals a small association between receiving social support and a decrease in burden perceived by caregivers, and a moderate association between having the impression of receiving social support and a decrease in burden perceived by caregivers. This means that caregivers who received, or felt like they received, greater levels of social support reported experiencing less burden than they otherwise would have. These findings are consistent with previous studies on other populations.

Conclusion

      In summary, the review identified three main conclusions regarding the relationship between social support and caregiver burden: 1) perceived social support has a greater effect on caregiver burden than received social support; 2) perceived social support may be a good predictor of the burden of caregivers; and 3) the perception of social support as adequate may be related to appraising a situation as less stressful.

      Findings from this review support the development of interventions to promote social support in caregivers to prevent or alleviate caregiver burden.




Glossary

Systematic review
A comprehensive evaluation of the available research evidence on a particular topic.

Related Web Resources

  • Supporting Carer-Workers: Checklist for Carer-Employees

    Gender Health & Caregiver-Friendly Workplaces
    This checklist can be used by carer-workers who are considering approaching their supervisor or manager at work to request workplace arrangements.
  • Resources for Caregivers and Caregiver Employees

    Gender Health & Caregiver-Friendly Workplaces
    This factsheet provides a summary of the supports that are available to caregivers and caregiver-employees for each province in Canada.
  • Dementia in home and community care

    Canadian Institute for Health Information
    Adults with dementia that live at home have complicated care needs. This resource provides information about caregiving for a person with dementia, and about how to transition into long-term care.
DISCLAIMER These summaries are provided for informational purposes only. They are not a substitute for advice from your own health care professional. The summaries may be reproduced for not-for-profit educational purposes only. Any other uses must be approved by the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal (info@mcmasteroptimalaging.org).

Register for free access to all Professional content

Register