Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Gerontologist. 2019 Nov 16;59(6):e802-e815. doi: 10.1093/geront/gny177.
Sex and gender differences among dementia spousal caregivers have been investigated, but never systematically reviewed or synthesized. A synthesis of findings can help facilitate specificity in practice and in health policy development. As a first step towards such a synthesis, this scoping review reports the available evidence, identifies research gaps, and suggests possible directions for future research.
A scoping review methodology was used to identify articles, and to chart and analyze data. Systematic searches for published, empirical studies, with an explicit goal or hypothesis related to sex or gender differences were conducted in seven databases.
Sixty-one studies met inclusion criteria. Most (n = 45) were quantitative, cross-sectional studies. Caregivers included in the studies were generally 61-70 years old, Caucasian, middle-class, and highly educated. The most extensively investigated differences are: depression, burden, objective physical health, and informal supports.
This scoping review is the first to summarize and critique the research on sex and gender differences that are specific to dementia spousal caregivers. The review can be used by researchers to make decisions regarding future systematic reviews and primary studies. To further strengthen the evidence base, future studies may benefit from including more caregivers of ethnic minorities, using more qualitative, longitudinal, or experimental designs, and focusing on variables needed to inform caregiving models and theories. Overall, this scoping review contributes to furthering gender-sensitive practices and policies that are better tailored to the specific needs of this population.
已对痴呆症配偶照料者中的性别差异进行了研究，但从未进行过系统的回顾或综合。综合研究结果可以帮助实践和卫生政策制定更具针对性。作为综合研究的第一步，本范围综述报告了现有证据，确定了研究空白，并为未来的研究提出了可能的方向。
采用范围综述方法，在七个数据库中检索并分析了与性别或性别差异有明确目标或假设的已发表的实证研究文章。
61 项研究符合纳入标准。大多数（n=45）是定量的横断面研究。研究中纳入的照料者通常年龄在 61-70 岁之间，白种人，中产阶级，受过高等教育。研究最广泛的差异包括：抑郁、负担、客观身体健康和非正式支持。
这是第一项总结和评价特定于痴呆症配偶照料者的性别差异的研究的范围综述。该综述可帮助研究人员对未来的系统评价和原始研究做出决策。为了进一步加强证据基础，未来的研究可能受益于纳入更多少数族裔的照料者，使用更多定性、纵向或实验设计，并关注为照顾模式和理论提供信息所需的变量。总的来说，本范围综述有助于推进对这一人群特定需求更具针对性的关注性别差异的实践和政策。
