Caring for children and adolescents with special needs or dependency is an emotional challenge for their families. This responsibility can lead to stress and burden, which directly affects the mental health of carers. Understanding which factors may influence this process is key to designing effective nursing interventions.
In this context, our team has conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis to examine how coping strategies relate to subjective burden and mental health in family carers. The study, recently published in an international scientific journal, analyses data from over 4,500 participants across various studies, providing a comprehensive, evidence-based overview.
The results show that coping strategies based on escape and avoidance are associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression and subjective burden. Conversely, problem-focused coping strategies, and particularly those centred on emotional regulation, appear to act as a protective factor. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating interventions aimed at improving coping skills in carers, with the aim of enhancing their psychological well-being and, consequently, improving the quality of their care.
Article reference: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jpm.70129
