The effectiveness of yoga therapy on caregivers of people living with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Introduction: Yoga is a type of practice with numerous benefits for health. This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence on yoga therapy and determine its effects on caregiver stress and mental health among those who provide care for people with dementia. Methods: The Cochrane methodological guidelines were adopted and reported using the PRISMA statement. MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, CINAHL, EMBASE, PROQUEST, Scopus, and Web of Science were among the seven online databases searched between January 2010 and October 2021 for randomized controlled trials. The risk of bias in the trials was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was done using Revman software 5.4 version. Results: Thirteen randomized controlled trials consisting of 522 research participants assessed the impact of yoga on caregiver stress, burden, mental health, and depression. A random effects model on the effect of yoga revealed that yoga is beneficial in caregiver stress reduction and enhancing the psychological well-being of caregivers of people with dementia with statistical significance (95%CI: 0.64-0.89, p < 0.05). It was statistically significant that caregiver stress was reduced among the caregivers of people living with dementia. Discussion: The practice of yoga decreases caregiver stress with a positive impact on caregiver mental health. Additionally, yoga plays a vital role in bringing down caregiver burden and depression. However, considering the heterogeneity among the included studies, additional research with larger sample size and rigorous randomized controlled trials must be conducted to generate a higher quality of evidence.