Background: Symptoms of depression are commonly experienced by informal caregivers of older adults, however there is uncertainty concerning effectiveness of psychological interventions targeting symptoms of depression in this population. Further, there is uncertainty concerning important clinical moderators, including intervention type and care recipient health condition. This review examined the effectiveness of psychological interventions targeting symptoms of depression in informal caregivers of older adults.

Methods: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool version 2.

Results: Fifteen studies were identified and twelve (1270 participants) provided data for the meta-analysis. Interventions included cognitive behavioral therapy (4 studies), problem-solving therapy (4 studies); non-directive supportive therapy (4 studies) and behavioral activation (3 studies). A small effect size favouring the intervention was found for symptoms of depression (g = -0.49, CI = -0.79, -0.19, I(2) = 83.42 %) and interventions were effective in reducing incidence of major depression (OR = 0.177, CI = 0.08, 0.38), caregiver burden (g = -0.35, CI = -0.55, -0.15) and psychological distress (g = -0.49, CI = -0.70, -0.28). Given high heterogeneity, findings should be interpreted with caution. Overall risk of bias was high. LIMITATIONS: Studies were limited to those in English or Swedish.

Conclusion: Psychological interventions may be effective in reducing symptoms of depression among informal caregivers of older adults. However, evidence is inconclusive due to heterogeneity, high risk of bias, and indirectness of evidence.