Key result
A systematic review of 9 qualitative and mixed-method studies found that caregivers play a complex, comprehensive role in supporting cardiovascular self-management for individuals with severe mental illness.
Why the study?
Little is known about what strategies family caregivers employ to support cardiovascular self-management care in community-living adults with severe mental illness.
What caregiving strategies do family members employ to support cardiovascular self-management in community-living adults with severe mental illness?
Systematic Review (n=9)
What caregiving strategies do family members employ to support cardiovascular self-management in community-living adults with severe mental illness?
Family caregivers are essential in supporting cardiovascular self-management for individuals with severe mental illness, but they require additional resources and support to sustain these efforts.
Caregivers warrant targeted support to sustain cardiovascular self-management in severe mental illness; extends qualitative synthesis but leaves open interventional trials.
BACKGROUND: Family members play a pivotal role in supporting cardiovascular self-management-based care of community-living adults with severe mental illness (SMI). However, little is known about what strategies caregivers employ as part of their caring roles. AIM: This paper aims to explore what caregiving strategies work (or not), why and how by collating and synthesising existing evidence on this issue. METHODS: A systematic search of peer-reviewed qualitative and mixed-method studies published between 2000 and 2019 was employed. This comprehensive process generated only nine papers for subsequent meta-synthesis of qualitative data. RESULTS: Findings suggested that caregivers have a complex yet comprehensive role to play in initiating and perpetuating self-management-based cardiovascular care. The elements of recovery such as promoting hope, normality, autonomy and identity were flagged as critical underpinning factors that motivated the person with SMI to adopt a healthy lifestyle. However, it was evident that caregivers needed to walk alongside the person, at times, to help them reach their maximum potential in sustaining improved self-management behaviours. CONCLUSION: Caregivers sit in a favourable bridging position between healthcare systems and community-living individuals with SMI, to support their cardiovascular health. However, this powerful but invisible 'workforce' clearly needs further support involving finance, skill-development and acknowledgement.
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Zabeen et al. (2020) conducted a systematic review in Severe mental illness (n=9). Family involvement was evaluated on Caregiving strategies for cardiovascular self-management. A systematic review of 9 qualitative and mixed-method studies found that caregivers play a complex, comprehensive role in supporting cardiovascular self-management for individuals with severe mental illness.
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