Preparedness, Resilience and Support Systems among Family Caregivers of Stroke Survivors: A Scoping Review
Abstract
Background: Family caregivers of stroke survivors frequently enter caregiving with limited preparation, while their capacity to adapt is shaped by personal, relational, cultural, socioeconomic, and service resources. This scoping review aimed to map and synthesise recent evidence on how preparedness, resilience, coping, and support systems have been conceptualised and reported among family caregivers of stroke survivors. Methods: The review followed Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and was reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Five databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, PubMed, and PsycINFO) were searched for peer-reviewed studies published from 2020 to 2025. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies involving adult family caregivers were included. Data were charted and synthesised descriptively and thematically. Results: Of 2,842 records, 32 studies met inclusion criteria. Three themes emerged: preparedness and challenges, resilience and coping, and support systems. Caregivers assumed their role with limited informational, emotional, and practical preparation. Resilience was shaped by personal, relational, cultural, and socioeconomic resources. Support systems were underused due to structural, financial, and access barriers. Conclusion: Preparedness, resilience, and support systems are related but conceptually distinct dimensions of post-stroke caregiving. Preparedness describes readiness to meet caregiving demands, resilience reflects adaptation as those demands evolve, and support systems represent contextual resources that may facilitate both processes. Because the evidence base remains dominated by cross-sectional and single-time-point studies, the direction and temporal ordering of these relationships cannot yet be established. Longitudinal, theory-informed, and intervention research is needed, particularly in low- and middle-income settings.