Anxiety in Informal Dementia Carers: A Meta-Analysis of Prevalence

Abstract

Much of the carer literature has focused on depression and burden as primary outcomes and anxiety appear somewhat neglected. Providing evidence on the prevalence of carer anxiety is critical as it can enhance awareness among professionals, which in turn can lead to improved access to efficacious treatments. This meta-analysis updated the previous review conducted in 2007 to estimate the up-to-date prevalence of anxiety in informal carers for people with dementia. Literature searches were conducted in databases of published and unpublished literature. Events and sample size data were pooled using a random effects model to obtain an overall prevalence percentage. A total of 10 studies were included, resulting in a pooled estimate of anxiety prevalence at 32.1% (95% confidence interval: 20.6%-46.2%, P = .01). Significant heterogeneity was found, which was not reduced following sensitivity analysis. This study suggests anxiety is a prevalent difficulty experienced by dementia carers. Additional research recommendations and clinical implications are discussed.