Abstract
In this systematic review, an investigation of research on effective social work interventions for African-American and Hispanic caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer's disease (AD) was conducted. Through a comprehensive literature search, twelve articles met the set inclusion criteria. Peer-reviewed journal articles on quantitative or qualitative research studies on African-American and Hispanic AD caregivers served as the data source. The review found three categories of interventions: in-home programs, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) focused small groups, and support groups. The majority of the studies included a demonstrated effort to culturally tailor each intervention. The results of the review demonstrate an overall improvement in depression, diminished sense of burden, and other measures of healthy caregiver coping. The majority of the interventions demonstrated little difference between racial or ethnic groups, indicating that cultural tailoring is advantageous to creating effective AD caregiver interventions. Based on the findings, further research is needed to explore CBT's efficacy for African-American caregivers and to assess interventions that address caregiver anxiety. Furthermore, this project indicates the ongoing need for social work practitioners to act with cultural sensitivity, curiosity, and responsiveness as a means for effective cross-cultural interventions.