# Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Caregivers of People with Motor Neurone Disease: A Scoping Review of Psychosocial Outcomes

## TL;DR

This review examines psychosocial outcomes of non-drug interventions for caregivers of people with motor neurone disease, highlighting key areas for future research.

## Contribution

The study identifies a lack of consensus on psychosocial outcomes and proposes a framework for developing a core outcome set for MND caregivers.

## Key findings

- Ten psychosocial outcomes were identified, including anxiety, depression, and caregiver burden.
- Caregiver burden and anxiety/depression are pivotal but require clearer conceptualization.
- Few studies have explored outcomes like resilience, self-efficacy, and mindfulness.

## Abstract

Objective: Caregivers of individuals with motor neurone disease (MND) face a wide range of psychosocial difficulties. To address these, non-pharmacological interventions have been trialled, showing promising results. However, no clear characterisation of the breadth of psychosocial constructs examined by the interventions is currently available, resulting in the lack of a core outcome set (COS). The present review explored the types of psychosocial outcomes investigated in studies that adopted non-pharmacological interventions with caregivers of people with MND. Methods: A scoping review was conducted across four major databases (Academic Search Ultimate, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE) from inception to the 1 March 2024. Results: From an initial return of 4802 citations, 10 were considered eligible for inclusion. A total of 10 main psychosocial outcomes were identified: anxiety and depression, psychological distress, resilience, caregiver burden, caregiver preparedness, self-efficacy, quality of life, spiritual wellbeing, and mindfulness. Conclusions: Caregiver burden and symptoms of anxiety and depression represent pivotal outcomes, but caution is advised with regard to caregiver burden’s potential multidimensional structure. Psychological distress and quality of life are also commonly investigated, but clearer consensus is needed on their conceptualisation. There is a paucity of studies characterising important psychosocial outcomes such as resilience, problem-solving, self-efficacy, and mindfulness, while no investigations are available for relevant outcomes such as coping, isolation, and loneliness. Further research is warranted to address these gaps to improve our insight into non-pharmacological support for MND caregivers and ultimately lead to the development of a core psychosocial outcome set in this population.