Emotional safety of people living with dementia: a systematic review. (2nd January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Grobosch, Sandra; Wolf, Florian; Juchems, Stefan; Kuske, Silke
• Is Part Of: Journal of mental health. Volume 32:Number 1(2023)
• Page Start: 110
• Page End: 131
• Publication Date: 2023-01-02
• Subjects: Dementia -- Alzheimer's disease -- safety -- patient safety -- emotion -- review; Mental health -- Periodicals; Mental health services -- Periodicals; 362.2
• DOI: 10.1080/09638237.2020.1739241
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0963-8237

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Emotional safety is particularly important for people living with dementia. Although there have been efforts to define this concept, no systematic review has been performed. Aim: We aimed to identify and analyze the knowledge available over a 10-year period regarding the emotional safety of people living with dementia to concretize this phenomenon. Methods: Seven databases were searched. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods studies published between November 2007 and October 2017 were included. Study selection and critical appraisal were performed by two reviewers. A content analysis of the qualitative data and a descriptive analysis of the quantitative data were performed. Results: In total, 27 publications ( n = 26 studies) were included. The following five main categories were identified: (1) "emotional safety as a primary psychological need"; (2) "emotional safety in the context of disease-related, biographical, demographic and socioeconomic factors"; (3) "inner conditions and strategies"; (4) "outer conditions and strategies"; and (5) "emotional safety as a condition". Conclusion: People living with dementia appear to be particularly vulnerable to decreased emotional safety. Research should focus on achieving a comprehensive understanding of their emotional safety needs.