Training and support for dementia caregivers in the Middle East and North Africa region: a scoping review

TL;DR

This review explores dementia caregiving training in the Middle East and North Africa, highlighting a lack of evidence and a focus on stress-related outcomes.

Contribution

The study maps dementia caregiving training evidence in the MENA region, revealing a gap in formal caregiver training and a focus on deficit-based evaluations.

Findings

Only 10 studies on informal caregiver training were identified, with a focus on educational and psychosocial programs.

Formal caregiver training was scarcely addressed in the reviewed literature.

Training evaluations emphasized burden and stress rather than strength-based outcomes.

Abstract

The anticipated rise in dementia cases across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, particularly the staggering 1795% projected increase in the United Arab Emirates by 2050, underscores an urgent need for community-based training for informal caregivers and professional training for formal caregivers. This scoping review mapped the evidence on dementia caregiving training for informal and formal caregivers in this region.

The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews was adopted. Four electronic databases were searched from inception to April 2025. Two authors independently screened and extracted data. The PAGER framework was employed to collate and critique the findings, identify advances and gaps, discuss evidence for practice, and suggest recommendations for practice and research.

Ten included studies reported training for informal caregivers, including educational programs (n = 5) and psychosocial trainings (n = 7) (i.e., psychoeducation, counselling and psychotherapy, multicomponent interventions, and miscellaneous interventions). Only two included studies reported training (i.e., educational program) for formal caregivers. There appeared to be a scarcity of evidence on dementia caregiving training for informal and formal caregivers in the MENA region, and the training was skewed toward educational programs. The evaluations focused on a deficit-based perspective (i.e., burden and stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety) that primarily focused on the caregivers.

The findings provided insights into dementia caregiving training for informal and formal caregivers in the MENA region. Further research on systematic reviews to evaluate overall training effectiveness is warranted. Additionally, studies evaluating culturally relevant psychosocial interventions, particularly those focus on strength-based outcomes (e.g., positive aspects of caregiving, caregiving confidence, and social support) to inform practice, are highly recommended. Furthermore, validation of region-specific measurement tools should be a priority.

https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UA9E3

Figures