Family resilience of patients requiring long‐term care: A meta‐synthesis of qualitative studies

BACKGROUND: Long-term care of patients with chronic illnesses is an important global public health issue, compromising the well-being of family members and the family functioning. Previous studies have examined the interactive experiences and processes of various systems in the families coping with long-term care stress; however, these studies have not been systematically reviewed and integrated. AIMS: This review aimed to synthesise the existing qualitative evidence on the experiences and processes of family resilience operate in families providing long-term care for patients with chronic illnesses and to provide suggestions for the development of interventions in future studies. MATERIALS & METHODS: We searched databases including PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science, ProQuest and CNKI from their inception to March 2022. We used the JBI Critical Appraisal Tool for qualitative studies to evaluate the quality of the included studies was evaluated according to. We followed The Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research (ENTREQ) statement. The results were integrated using the thematic and content analysis method. RESULTS: Fourteen studies from eight countries covering 11 diseases reported on the experiences and coping processes of long-term care families. Based on McCubbin's Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation (FAAR), five analytical themes were synthesised: stressors (risk factors), family belief system, internal family coping strategies, external support and resilient adaptation indicators; the relationships between themes and subthemes were illustrated. DISCUSSION: This review synthesized qualitative evidence on the experiences and processes of family resilience operate in families providing long-term care. The results of this study found that the cognition and belief of family members regarding dilemmas have a two-way effect and act on the adaptation process of family members. In family adaptation, spirituality, hope, internal and external support are extremely important. In 14 studies, caregivers were from different countries with intercultural differences, but due to less reports on this content, it is difficult to compare the differences or impact that culture or ethnicity may have. CONCLUSIONS: Family resilience plays an important role in coping with stressors associated with the long-term care of a loved one through family belief systems, internal support systems and external support systems. The development of family resilience-based interventions for long-term care families should consider the family as a whole and further construct a multidisciplinary, multilevel and multi-type social support network to enhance family resilience.