Introduction: Caring for children with chronic illnesses imposes substantial psychological and emotional demands on caregivers, often leading to heightened stress levels, anxiety, and burnout. Persistent caregiver stress can negatively affect both the caregiver's health and the child's treatment adherence and outcomes.
Mindfulness Based Interventions (MBIs), grounded in present moment awareness and non judgmental acceptance, have emerged as evidence based strategies for stress reduction and resilience building in diverse populations, including family caregivers. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions in reducing stress among caregivers of children with chronic illnesses. Methods: Following the PRISMA ۲۰۲۰ guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library for studies published between January ۲۰۱۰ and April ۲۰۲۵. Search terms included "mindfulness," "caregivers," "chronic illness," "children," and "stress reduction." Eligible studies involved parent or primary caregivers of pediatric patients with any chronic condition, employed MBIs such as
Mindfulness Based
Stress Reduction (MBSR) or
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and assessed stress using validated measurement tools. Exclusion criteria included studies involving non parent caregivers or non mindfulness interventions. Methodological quality was appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. Due to heterogeneity in intervention design, a narrative synthesis was performed, supplemented by pooled effect size calculations when feasible. Results: ۱۹ studies encompassing ۱,۳۷۵ participants met inclusion criteria. Intervention formats included group based sessions (n=۱۲), online programs (n=۵), and hybrid models (n=۲), with durations ranging from ۶ to ۱۲ weeks. All studies reported significant post intervention reductions in caregiver stress. The pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) for stress reduction was -۰.۷۱. Additional benefits included improvements in anxiety (SMD = -۰.۵۴) and depressive symptoms (SMD -۰.۴۸). Intervention adherence rates exceeded ۸۰% in most studies. Conclusion:
Mindfulness based interventions demonstrate moderate to large effectiveness in reducing stress and enhancing psychological well being among caregivers of children with chronic illnesses. Incorporating MBIs into pediatric healthcare support programs may promote caregiver resilience and indirectly benefit child health outcomes. Further research should investigate long term maintenance effects and optimal delivery modalities for diverse care settings.
