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Anticipatory grief among caregivers of people living with dementia: A scoping review
Nury Rodriguez Colmenares, Lorelí Álvarez, James Gilbreath, Adelais Markaki, Julie Schexnayder, Frank Puga. Palliative & Supportive Care, 2026-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Thirty articles met the inclusion criteria. Caregiver characteristics, such as being a spousal caregiver and greater caregiving involvement, were associated with higher levels of anticipatory grief. Caregiving-related stressors and relationship changes across the ADRD trajectory were consistently linked to anticipatory grief across studies, while psychosocial resources, such as adaptive coping and social support, were generally associated with lower levels of anticipatory grief. Anticipatory grief was consistently associated with depressive symptoms. Intervention studies were limited, but those focused on acceptance and preparedness showed potential for reducing anticipatory grief. SIGNIFICANCE OF Anticipatory grief represents an important dimension of caregiver mental health that reflects ongoing loss. Conceptualizing anticipatory grief within caregiving stress frameworks highlights how vulnerability to distress may emerge from the interplay between caregiving stressors, relationship changes, and psychosocial resources. This conceptual framing may inform future research and palliative care interventions to support the well-being of family caregivers across the dementia trajectory.
Key findings
- Thirty articles met the inclusion criteria.
- Caregiver characteristics, such as being a spousal caregiver and greater caregiving involvement, were associated with higher levels of anticipatory grief.
- Caregiving-related stressors and relationship changes across the ADRD trajectory were consistently linked to anticipatory grief across studies, while psychosocial resources, such as adaptive coping and social support, were generally associated with lower levels of anticipatory grief.
- Anticipatory grief was consistently associated with depressive symptoms.
- Intervention studies were limited, but those focused on acceptance and preparedness showed potential for reducing anticipatory grief.
Why it matters
This scoping review found that anticipatory grief among caregivers of people with dementia was linked to being a spousal caregiver, greater caregiving involvement, caregiving stressors, and relationship changes, and was consistently associated with depressive symptoms. It addresses caregiver grief and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 38/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Palliative & Supportive Care) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Palliative & Supportive Care: journal h-index 85 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.5 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 25.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Frank Puga: h-index 14 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Alabama at Birmingham: institution h-index 1,118 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 42087776) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 38 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1017/s1478951526102478
- PubMed: 42087776
- Original source →
- Free full text: Palliative & Supportive Care →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Colmenares, N. R., Álvarez, L., Gilbreath, J., Markaki, A., Schexnayder, J., & Puga, F. (2026). Anticipatory grief among caregivers of people living with dementia: A scoping review. Palliative & Supportive Care. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1478951526102478
Vancouver
Colmenares NR, Álvarez L, Gilbreath J, Markaki A, Schexnayder J, Puga F. Anticipatory grief among caregivers of people living with dementia: A scoping review. Palliative & Supportive Care. 2026. doi:10.1017/s1478951526102478. PMID: 42087776.
BibTeX
@article{colmenares2026-42087776,
author = {Colmenares, Nury Rodriguez and Álvarez, Lorelí and Gilbreath, James and Markaki, Adelais and Schexnayder, Julie and Puga, Frank},
title = {{Anticipatory grief among caregivers of people living with dementia: A scoping review}},
journal = {Palliative \& Supportive Care},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1017/s1478951526102478},
pmid = {42087776},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1017/s1478951526102478}
}
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