Emotion regulation strategies to improve outcomes in family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias: A systematic review

Abstract

Interventions for family caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) incorporate diverse elements, but drivers of success are unclear. Emotion regulation is vital for adaptive functioning. This systematic review explores how training in emotion regulation strategies affects intervention effectiveness. We hypothesized that the inclusion of adaptive strategies like cognitive reappraisal would be associated with significant outcomes, rather than the number of trained strategies. A systematic review of 31 articles categorized interventions by strategy type utilized and number of intervention strategies included. While most interventions included multiple strategies, cognitive reappraisal was linked to intervention success, with 75% of studies that trained it showing significant results. These findings underscore the importance of integrating contextually flexible emotion regulation strategies, particularly cognitive reappraisal, into interventions targeting ADRD caregivers. By doing so, interventions may better alleviate the psychological impacts of caregiving, enhancing their overall effectiveness in mitigating caregiver burden.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; cognitive reappraisal; emotion regulation; family caregiver.