The role of the social environment on dementia caregivers’ pre-death grief: A mixed- methods systematic review

Abstract

This systematic review examined the role of social environment in pre-death grief experiences of dementia caregivers. Ninety-three Chinese and English articles were included from a comprehensive search of empirical studies using nine databases. Six social environment domains were generated: the person with dementia, dyadic relationship, family members and the wider community, health and social care services, place of care, and social-cultural contexts. A complex interplay between caregivers and their social environments that aggravate and attenuate pre-death grief experiences is evident. Research has focused mainly on the effects of people with dementia and dyadic relationships and has paid modest attention to the effects of family, relatives, and health and social care services. Caregivers’ experiences with their friends, fellow caregivers, the wider community, and social-cultural norms are influential but understudied. Future research could adopt a systems thinking approach with sociological perspectives to generate a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of pre-death grief experiences.

Ethical approval

This systematic review does not require ethics review and approval to be conducted.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study is supported by Sau Po Centre on Ageing and the HKU COA JMK Dementia Care Scholarship (Ref. 2022-A03). They are not involved in the systematic review.