Factors associated with higher caregiver burden among informal caregivers of Parkinson's disease: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and the care burden in informal caregivers is huge. Summarizing factors associated with the informal caregivers burden can improve our understanding of providing proactive support to informal caregivers caring for patients with Parkinson's disease (PwP) at risk, and provides evidence for clinical practice. Methods: PRISMA guidelines were followed in this systematic review. We searched 9 databases in May 2024 for studies reporting data on factors associated with the care burden of informal caregivers for PwP. Results: We identified 16456 records of which 28 met inclusion criteria. Informal caregivers from 12 countries were included. There were 38 factors shown to be linked to higher care burden. The evidence indicated that informal caregivers who were depressed, caring for PwP with lower quality of life, caring for PwP with lower ADL scores, or caring for PwP with depression reported high care burden. Conclusion: Targeted interventions addressing those modifiable factors should be developed and investigated to lighten the care burden of informal caregivers for PwP.