Effectiveness of Individual Psychoeducational Interventions for Caregivers of Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

TL;DR

This study finds that psychoeducational interventions improve the quality of life for caregivers of stroke patients, but have no significant effect on depression or caregiver burden.

Contribution

The study provides a meta-analysis of individual psychoeducational interventions for stroke caregivers, revealing their effectiveness on quality of life.

Findings

Psychoeducational interventions significantly improved caregivers' quality of life (SMD = 0.34).

No significant effect was found on depression (SMD = -0.05) or caregiver burden (SMD = -0.61).

Larger studies are needed to confirm the impact on depression and burden.

Abstract

Stroke is a major cause of disability, and patients who suffer strokes have limited mobility and functional tasks, necessitating daily reliance on caregivers. However, caregivers of stroke patients often experience depression and anxiety, negatively impacting their mental health and reducing their quality of life. Psychoeducational interventions may be a solution to support the well-being of stroke caregivers. This study is performed to assess the overall effectiveness of individual psychoeducational interventions for caregivers of stroke patients. A thorough search of Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases was performed for published studies in English up to June 2023. Clinical trials assessing the efficacy of psychoeducational interventions on quality of life, depression, or care burden among stroke caregivers compared to usual care were included. A total of 18 clinical trials, 16 randomized clinical trials (RCTs), and two non-RCTs, with a total of 2007 patients, were included. The study's pooled results revealed a significant increase in the quality of life in the group receiving psychoeducational interventions compared to the comparison group (SMD = 0.34, 95% CI 0.13–0.55, p value = 0.002), while no significant difference was found in terms of depression (SMD =  − 0.05, 95% CI  − 0.23 to 0.14, p value = 0.62) or caregiver burden (SMD =  − 0.61, 95% CI  − 1.65 to 0.44, p value = 0.25). Psychoeducation programs should be considered as a supportive intervention to improve quality of life in caregivers; however, their impact on depression and caregiver burden remains inconclusive. However, further studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm the results.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10880-025-10097-x.

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