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Cancer is a global public health concern that causes psychosocial and spiritual challenges in those who suffer from it and their family caregivers. Meaning-centered interventions have a positive impact on improving anxiety and depression in patients with advanced cancer. However, the impact of meaning-centered interventions on existential distress of patients with cancer and family caregivers' mental health is still unclear.
To examine the efficacy of meaning-centered interventions in alleviating existential distress, enhancing quality of life, and fostering a sense of meaning among cancer survivors and their family caregivers.
This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis 2020 statement. A comprehensive search was conducted from inception until September 2023 across nine databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, WANFANG, and CNKI. Heterogeneity testing and meta-analyses were conducted using Review Manger 5.3. We calculated standard mean deviations and 95% confidence intervals and presented forest plots for assessing intervention effects. Two reviewers independently evaluated the risk of bias of all included articles. STATA 17.0 was used for publication bias analysis.
The review included 25 studies with 2399 participants, and 22 were included in the meta-analysis. Meaning-centered interventions enhanced quality of life, alleviated existential distress, and reduced depressive symptoms and cancer-related fatigue. They did not affect spiritual well-being. The subgroup analysis showed that the individual form and long-term intervention (≥3 months) enhanced the quality of life in cancer survivors. Meaning-centered interventions reduce depression in advanced cancer survivors more than in mixed-stage cancer survivors. Meaning-centered interventions significantly enhanced benefit finding for family caregivers.
Meaning-centered interventions may improve mental health for patients with cancer and their family caregivers. Future research must include diverse cultural perspectives to understand the impact of meaning-centered interventions on various groups.
To examine the effectiveness of family-centred interventions among family caregivers.
Family-centred interventions are an emerging form of intervention that can be effective at improving physical and mental health outcomes for patients and family caregivers. To date, no reviews have examined the effectiveness of family-centred interventions for family caregivers.
A systematic review, including a meta-analysis, was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) checklist.
Seven English and two Chinese electronic databases were compressively searched from the outset to March 2023. Two researchers independently reviewed the abstracts and full texts, extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias independently by using the Cochrane ‘Risk of bias assessment tool’.
This systematic review and meta-analysis included 20 articles. The results of the meta-analysis showed that family-centred interventions could significantly improve caregiver burden (p=0.003), quality of life (p = 0.007), depression (p = 0.0002), and stress (p < 0.0001) but not anxiety or family functioning. According to our subgroup analysis, the family-centred empowerment model (p = 0.009) was superior to the other family intervention (p=0.004) in reducing caregiver burden. Family-centred interventions are more effective at reducing the burden of caregiving on family caregivers of adolescent patients (SMD=−0.79, 95% CI[−1.22,−0.36], p = 0.0003) than on adult patients (SMD=−0.37, 95% CI [−0.61,−0.12], p = 0.004).
Family-centred interventions could enhance family caregivers’ burden, quality of life, stress and depression but had no significant impact on anxiety or family functioning.
Family-centred interventions have the potential to improve the health status and caregiving burden of family caregivers. Rigorous and high-quality evidence is needed to confirm the long-term effects of these interventions on family caregivers.
The protocol has been registered in the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (Protocol registration ID: CRD42023453607).
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