Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40015952›Full record

SynthesisInternational journal of geriatric psychiatry2025

Effectiveness of Interventions to Support Carers of People With Dementia in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Frank Chen, Zhiwei Hu, Quan Li, Xuan Zheng, Meizhi Li, Maximilian Salcher-Konrad, Adelina Comas-Herrera, Martin Knapp, Cheng Shi, STRiDE consortium

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Frank ChenDepartment of Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1194-5750
Zhiwei HuDepartment of Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
Quan LiFirst Clinical Medical School, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Xuan ZhengDepartment of Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
Meizhi LiDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.ORCID 0000-0003-4865-3097
Maximilian Salcher-KonradCare Policy and Evaluation Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5628-5266
Adelina Comas-HerreraCare Policy and Evaluation Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9860-9062
Martin KnappCare Policy and Evaluation Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1427-0215
Cheng ShiSchool of Graduate Studies and Institute of Policy Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China.ORCID 0000-0002-7341-3135
STRiDE consortium

Funding

The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South UniversityUK Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund ES/P010938/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesFamily and other carers of people with dementia can potentially benefit from training and support to reduce the negative impacts of caregiving and prevent harm to care recipients. While interventions for carers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are emerging, their effectiveness is not well understood. Through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to support carers of people with dementia in improving the well-being of carers and their care recipients in LMICs.

methodsThis review, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018106206), built on a systematic mapping of dementia interventions in LMICs under the Strengthening Responses to Dementia (STRiDE) project. It analysed evidence on interventions to support carers in these regions. Title and abstract screening, full-text review, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were each conducted by two reviewers independently, with disagreements resolved through group discussion. Pairwise meta-analyses were conducted, with robustness tested via leave-one-out analysis. Heterogeneity was explored using subgroup analysis, meta-regression and MetaForest. Medline, Embase, Global Health and PsycINFO (via Ovid) and CINAHL (via EBSCO) databases were searched. We included randomised control trials focused on carer well-being in LMICs, 2008-2022. Primary outcomes were perceived burden and depression; other health-related quantitative outcomes were collected.

resultsFrom 5228 records, 48 studies in English and Chinese were identified as eligible, reporting on 67 carer outcomes and 36 care recipient outcomes. Forty-one studies were at high risk of bias. Meta-analysis revealed statistically significant medium-to-large intervention effects on three key carer outcomes-perceived burden, depression, and anxiety-and on four major outcomes for people with dementia-neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognitive function, quality of life (QoL), and activities of daily living (ADL). These effects were larger than those typically observed in previous studies in high-income countries (HICs).

conclusionsThis review provides a comparative overview and summarises the characteristics of published interventions to support carers in LMICs. It reveals medium-to-large beneficial effects of the interventions on several key outcomes for carers and care recipients in LMICs. Future research employing more rigorous methodologies is recommended, particularly for broader and more diverse populations.

Indexed as

CaregiversDementiaDeveloping CountriesSocial SupportHumansQuality of Lifecaregivingcarer interventionscarer straincarer supportdementiaeffectivenessLMICsmeta‐analysisrandomised controlled trialssystematic review

Identifiers

PMID40015952
PMCPMC11867927

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.