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Being a family carer is associated with increased risk of experiencing depressive symptoms. Despite many decades of research investigating the association between coping strategies and depressive symptoms in carers results across studies remain contradictory. The objective of this study was to systematically review evidence on the association between depressive symptoms and coping strategies in carers of dependent people aged 18 and over and investigate potential sources of heterogeneity of findings. The study design was a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and LILACS up to April 2021. We performed meta-analyses following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and several subgroup analyses to investigate whether cause of caring dependency, study design, and controlling for several biases influenced results. Fifty-nine studies met our inclusion criteria. We found a robust and statistically significant association between greater use of dysfunctional coping and higher depressive symptoms. Greater use of emotion-focussed coping was associated with fewer depressive symptoms only in studies controlling for confounding bias. Use of problem-focussed coping was related to fewer depressive symptoms in carers of frail older people. The combined use of both problem-focussed and emotion-focussed coping was associated with lower symptoms of depression. Our review concludes that the broad domain of dysfunctional coping is consistently associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms in carers. After controlling for confounders, emotion-focussed coping and several of its individual strategies were consistently associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Whilst problem-focussed coping and some of its individual strategies are also associated with lower depressive symptoms, these strategies may not be as helpful in all caregiving groups., (© 2023 The Authors. Stress and Health published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Depressive symptoms are common in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and negatively impact patient well-being. The main aim of the present study was to establish summary estimates for the prevalence of minor depressive disorder (MinD) and subthreshold depression in AD and synthesise evidence on prognosis and management of these symptoms in order to inform clinical guidelines., Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of prevalence, prognosis, and treatments for minor and subthreshold depression in AD. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL. We included studies that reported prevalence of subthreshold depressive disorders and those reporting data on validity of diagnostic criteria, mechanisms, or randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) testing effectiveness of interventions. Estimates of prevalence were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. Two authors screened articles and independently extracted data on study characteristics., Results: We reviewed 5671 abstracts, retrieved 621 full text articles and included a total of 15 studies. Pooling data from 10 studies showed that prevalence for MinD in AD was 22.0% (95% CI 16.0 to 28.0). Prevalence for a clinical diagnosis of MinD (DSM-III-R and DSM-IV) was 26.0% (95% CI 20.0 to 32.0; 6 studies). People with MinD experienced higher levels of neuropsychiatric symptoms, functional and cognitive decline, although studies remain cross-sectional. Neither sertraline nor a carer intervention were effective in reducing symptoms., Conclusion: This review finds that MinD is prevalent in people with a diagnosis of AD and requires clinical attention. Research is warranted to develop effective interventions to treat and prevent these symptoms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There are no known conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Family carers are an important source of care for older people. Although several studies have reported that subjective caregiver burden is related to depressive symptoms there are no systematic reviews quantifying this association., Objective: To establish the extent to which subjective caregiver burden is associated with depressive symptoms and whether this association would vary by study or care characteristics., Methods: We searched major databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus and ISI Proceedings up to March 2018, and conducted a meta-analysis of included studies. Summary estimates of the association were obtained using a random-effects model to improve generalisation of findings., Results: After screening of 4,688 articles, 55 studies were included providing a total of 56 independent comparisons with a total of 9,847 carers from data across 20 countries. There was a large, positive association between subjective caregiver burden and depressive symptoms ([Formula: see text] = 0.514; 95% CI = 0.486, 0.541), with very low heterogeneity amongst individual studies (I2 = 8.6%). Sensitivity analyses showed no differences between cross-sectional or repeated measures ([Formula: see text] = 0.521; 95% CI = 0.491, 0.550; 51 samples) and longitudinal studies ([Formula: see text] = 0.454; 95% CI = 0.398, 0.508; 6 samples). We found a higher effect size for those caring for people living with dementia compared to those caring for frail older people, and stroke survivors. Carer sex, age and kinship did not change the estimate of the effect., Conclusions: Subjective caregiver burden is a significant risk factor for depressive symptoms in carers of older people and may precipitate clinical depression. Those caring for people with dementia experience greater burden. There is a need for longitudinal evaluations examining the effects of potential mediators of the association of subjective burden and depressive symptoms. Future interventions should test whether minimizing subjective burden may modify the risk of developing depression in carers of older relatives., Competing Interests: I have read the journal's policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: Rafael del-Pino-Casado was co-author of three of the included studies together with Catalina López-Martínez in one of these studies.

Background: Depression is common in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and is associated with increased risk of institutionalization and mortality. Understanding risk factors for depression in AD is key to its development and treatment., Methods: We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAL databases for longitudinal prospective cohort studies that evaluated risk factors for depression in people with AD. Two authors independently selected articles for inclusion and assessed quality of studies using predetermined criteria., Results: In seven studies that met the inclusion criteria, 2029 participants were followed up for a median of 5 years. Gender and educational attainment were not predictors of depression risk. History of a past psychiatric disorder and greater cognitive impairment predicted increased risk of depression in more than one study. In single studies, younger age, having a family history of psychiatric disorder, neuroticism, functional decline, presence of sleep disturbance and aggression, and increased cardiovascular risk predicted depression risk. Not being within 6 months of dementia onset and, counterintuitively having two comorbid disorders were protective factors in one study., Limitations: A small number of studies exist overall and only a few have examined the same risk factors. Most of the studies have measured depression using scales that are not validated in AD., Conclusions: These results inform a preliminary model of depression risk in people with AD. Unlike in the general population, men and women and those with higher and lower educational levels of attainment may be equally at risk of depression. Clinicians should be aware of these possible differences in the risk profile for depression in AD populations, to assist detection and enable early treatment. Interventions to delay cognitive and functional decline may reduce depression risk., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Depressive symptoms are common among people with dementia, impacting quality of life and cognitive and functional decline. Currently, little is known about the acceptability and feasibility of psychological interventions for people with mild dementia, with recent reviews identifying the need for further evidence. Developing and evaluating psychological interventions to prevent and treat these symptoms is, therefore, an important clinical and research priority. This protocol describes a study testing the acceptability and feasibility of a manual-based behavioural activation (BA) intervention for preventing and treating depressive symptoms in people with mild dementia. The aim of this study is to explore the feasibility of conducting a pragmatic multicentre randomised controlled trial of clinical effectiveness of an eight-session intervention. The Intervention to prevent Depressive symptoms and promote well-being in EArly-stage dementia (IDEA) programme supports people with dementia and their family carers in identifying and scheduling enjoyable and meaningful activities., Methods and Analysis: Sixty people who have received a diagnosis of dementia of any type in the last 6 months will be recruited via memory clinics. Further criteria are a Mini-Mental State Examination score of ≥20, and a family carer who can assist with the intervention. Consenting participants will be randomised in a ratio of 2:1 to BA or to treatment as usual. Analyses will estimate parameters such as rates of recruitment, retention and number of sessions completed. Questionnaires measuring depressive symptoms and quality of life for both the person with dementia and their carer will be completed at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Qualitative interviews will explore acceptability of the intervention, study procedures and experiences of the sessions., Ethics and Dissemination: This study received a favourable ethical opinion from the London Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee (16/LO/0540). We will disseminate findings at key conferences, the Alzheimer's Society and University College London websites and local stakeholder events., Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN75503960; Pre-results., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Background: Anxiety and depression are common in people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but there is uncertainty about the effectiveness of both pharmacological and psychological therapies., Aims: To evaluate the evidence of effectiveness of psychological treatments in treating depression and anxiety in people with dementia and MCI., Method: We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of psychological treatment versus usual care in people with dementia and MCI. Primary outcomes were symptoms of anxiety and depression. Secondary outcomes were quality of life, ability to perform daily activities, neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognition and caregivers' self-rated depressive symptoms., Results: We included six RCTs, involving 439 participants with dementia, which used cognitive-behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy, counselling or multimodal interventions including a specific psychological therapy. We found beneficial effects for both depression and anxiety. Overall, the quality of the evidence was moderate for depression and low for anxiety, due to the methodological limitations of the studies we identified and the limited number of trials., Conclusions: The evidence from six RCTs suggests that psychological treatments are effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety for people with dementia. There is a need for high-quality, multicentre trials including standardised, well-defined interventions., (© The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015.)

Background: Experiencing anxiety and depression is very common in people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Psychological interventions have been suggested as a potential treatment for these populations. Current research suggests that people with dementia and MCI have limited opportunities for psychological treatments aimed at improving their well-being. A systematic review of the evidence on their effectiveness is likely to be useful in terms of improving outcomes for patients and for future recommendations for practice., Objectives: The main objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of psychological interventions in reducing anxiety and depression in people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI)., Search Methods: We searched the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group Specialized Register and additional sources for both published and unpublished data., Selection Criteria: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing a psychological intervention with usual care or a placebo intervention (social contact control) in people with dementia or MCI., Data Collection and Analysis: Two review authors worked independently to select trials, extract data and assess studies for risk of bias, using a data extraction form. We contacted authors when further information was not available from the published articles., Main Results: Six RCTs involving 439 participants with dementia were included in the review, but no studies of participants with MCI were identified. The studies included people with dementia living in the community or in nursing home care and were carried out in several countries. Only one of the studies was classified as low risk of bias. Five studies were at unclear or high risk of bias due to uncertainties around randomisation, blinding and selective reporting of results. The studies used the different psychological approaches of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy and counselling. Two studies were of multimodal interventions including a specific psychological therapy. The comparison groups received either usual care, attention-control educational programs, diagnostic feedback or services slightly above usual care.Meta-analysis showed a positive effect of psychological treatments on depression (6 trials, 439 participants, standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.22; 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.41 to -0.03, moderate quality evidence) and on clinician-rated anxiety (2 trials, 65 participants, mean difference (MD) -4.57; 95% CI -7.81 to -1.32, low quality evidence), but not on self-rated anxiety (2 trials, SMD 0.05; 95% CI -0.44 to 0.54) or carer-rated anxiety (1 trial, MD -2.40; 95% CI -4.96 to 0.16). Results were compatible with both benefit and harm on the secondary outcomes of patient quality of life, activities of daily living (ADLs), neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognition, or on carers' self-rated depressive symptoms, but most of the studies did not measure these outcomes. There were no reports of adverse events., Authors' Conclusions: We found evidence that psychological interventions added to usual care can reduce symptoms of depression and clinician-rated anxiety for people with dementia. We conclude that psychological interventions have the potential to improve patient well-being. Further high quality studies are needed to investigate which treatments are most effective and to evaluate the effect of psychological interventions in people with MCI.

Unlabelled: BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: Current evidence suggests that dysphoric mood affects the ability to recognize facial emotion., Methods: In the present study, older adults with and without mild depressive symptoms were asked to complete a task measuring their ability to identify facial affect representative of six different emotions (happiness, surprise, disgust, fear, anger, and sadness)., Results: Consistent with previous findings, results showed that older adults experiencing mild depressive symptoms were less accurate in their ability to recognize facial expressions of fear and anger. No group differences were observed in the recognition of happiness, surprise, disgust, and sadness., Conclusion: The present study has contributed to previous research by demonstrating that mild depressive symptoms affect the ability to recognize facial emotion in a sample of older adults.

Background: Recent research has highlighted the important role of emotion dysregulation in the occurrence and maintenance of depressive symptomatology., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to test the effects of mild depressive symptoms (MDS) on older adults' ability to regulate emotional experiences., Method: A total of 70 community dwelling older adults completed self-report measures of affect and were asked to report how often they use specific emotion regulation strategies., Results: Consistent with previous theories older adults experiencing MDS reported greater difficulties in regulating affect compared to normal controls (NCs)., Conclusion: The present results provide support for previous findings demonstrating that experiencing depressive symptoms affects the ability to regulate emotional responses. Current findings are likely to be informative in terms of understanding emotion dysregulation in older adults at risk of experiencing clinical symptoms of depression.