Objectives: Limited research has examined spousal and adult-child differences with dementia caregiver burden. To address this gap, objectives of this scoping review were to: (1) synthesize differences in caregiver burden between spouse and adult-child dementia caregivers, and (2) determine whether a relationship status group consistently experienced more caregiver burden. Methods: A literature search was conducted in October 2024, using PubMed, Ovid, and Scopus databases. Articles written in English published between January 1991 and June 2024 were included if they: (1) examined impacts of caregiving for an individual with any form of dementia; (2) reported kinship distribution and/or stratified results by relationship status; and (3) examined caregiver burden as a separate variable. Studies were excluded if they: (1) described a condition without a dementia diagnosis; (2) included caregivers not stratified by kinship; or (3) examined a caregiver tool like a physical assistive device as a moderator. Results: A total of 15 studies met review criteria and were divided into quantitative (N = 14) and qualitative interview (N = 1) studies. Six found adult-children caregivers experienced more caregiver burden than spousal caregivers. Four studies found spouses experienced more burden. One study showed live-in adult-children reported the most burden, followed by spouses, and then non-live-in adult-children. Three studies found no difference. Lastly, one qualitative interview study documented profound differences by caregiver type. Conclusion: Results of this scoping review were mixed as to which group consistently felt more total burden. Future longitudinal investigations should further examine these associations, especially given an increasingly aging world.
Barnes et al. (Tue,) studied this question.