Support may help cancer caregivers cope and feel surer, but did not ease depression

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   29 studies with 14 to 329 family carers each, about 114 on average. Most carers were women (64%) and white (84%), aged 18 to 92, with an average age of about 55.

2. 02

   What they did

   Most support taught about cancer and caring, or problem solving, in about 7 sessions over 12 weeks. Usually the carer and patient came together, and the other group got normal care.

3. 03

   What happened

   Carers who got support coped better, felt surer and felt less strain than the other group in the first three months. Strain at three to six months and depression showed no clear difference. The biggest gain, in what carers needed to know, came from three small studies, and the paper warns it may be exaggerated.

What the review found

1. HelpedMotivation

   Across eight studies, carers given support felt surer than the other group within three months.

   • Action: Learn how the problem workstested
   • Action: Solve problems step by steptested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 8 studies with 757 people · vs caregivers who got usual care · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

2. HelpedMotivation

   Across four studies, carers still felt surer than the other group three to six months after support.

   • Action: Learn how the problem workstested
   • Action: Solve problems step by steptested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 4 studies with 532 people · vs caregivers who got usual care · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

3. HelpedOther outcomes

   Across ten studies, carers rated themselves as coping better than the other group within three months.

   • Action: Learn how the problem workstested
   • Action: Solve problems step by steptested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 10 studies with 790 people · vs caregivers who got usual care · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

4. HelpedOther outcomes

   Across eleven studies, carers felt less strain than the other group within three months.

   • Action: Learn how the problem workstested
   • Action: Solve problems step by steptested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 11 studies with 1,172 people · vs caregivers who got usual care · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

Source