Self-Compassion, Health Outcomes, and Family Carers of Older Adults: An Integrative Review

ABSTRACT

Objectives

This review sought to synthesize published evidence about the role of self-compassion on health outcomes for family carers of older adults, to describe the current state of knowledge.

Method

Using an integrative review method that permitted any research design, eight databases were searched. Extensive searching of gray literature sources was also undertaken. Studies included in the review underwent processes of methodological quality assessment (Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool – Version 2011), data extraction, analysis, and syntheses.

Results

Four studies were included: two randomized controlled trials, a descriptive cross-sectional survey, and a qualitative study. There was preliminary evidence to show the potential of self-compassion to help family carers cope and reduce levels of burden. However, efficacy of self-compassion interventions to improve family carer health outcomes could not be determined.

Conclusions

Self-compassion in family carers of older adults is a new and emerging research area, and there is very little published evidence about how self-compassion might be developed to improve health outcomes for family carers.

Clinical Implications

To inform clinical understanding within this population, future quality research is needed, particularly regarding proof-of-concept, moderating effects of carer and care recipient factors, reliability of self-compassion measures, and the development and testing of self-compassion based interventions.

KEYWORDS:

• Compassion
• family caregiver
• mental health
• self-care

Acknowledgments

This review was undertaken as part of Jenny Murfield’s PhD research program, supported by a 2018 Griffith University Postgraduate Research Scholarship, and under the supervision of Professors Wendy Moyle and Analise O’Donovan, and Dr. Cindy Jones. No author has any source of financial support or relationship that may pose a conflict of interest to the study. Thanks are expressed to Katrina Henderson, Health Librarian at Griffith University, for assistance in developing the literature search strategy.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Griffith University Postgraduate Research Scholarship.