IMPACT OF INTERNET-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON MENTAL HEALTH OF CAREGIVERS OF ADULTS WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS

Family caregivers provide important sources of support to older community-living adults with chronic conditions. However, caregivers often experience negative mental health outcomes as a result of caregiving. Internet-based interventions have the potential to mitigate the negative mental health outcomes associated with caregiving. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the impact of internet-based interventions on caregiver mental health outcomes, and the impact of different types of internet-based intervention programs. Multiple databases were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials or controlled clinical trials that compared internet-based intervention programs with no or minimal internet-based interventions. Title and abstract, and full-text screening were completed in duplicate. Data were extracted by a single reviewer and verified by a second reviewer, and risk of bias assessments were completed accordingly. Where possible, data for mental health outcomes were meta-analyzed using standardized mean differences. Of 7,923 unique citations, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. Beneficial effects of any internet-based intervention program resulted in a mean decrease of 0.48 points (95% CI: -0.75 to -0.22) for stress/distress among caregivers and a mean decrease of 0.40 points (95% CI: -0.58 to -0.22) for anxiety among caregivers. For studies that examined internet-based information/education and internet-based information/education plus professional psychosocial support, the meta-analysis results showed small to medium effect sizes for the mental health outcomes of depression, stress/distress and anxiety. Given the limited quality of the included studies, further high-quality research is needed to inform the effectiveness of interactive, dynamic, and multi-component internet-based interventions for caregivers.