SUPPORT GROUPS FOR INFORMAL CAREGIVERS DONT WORK - REFOCUS THE GROUPS OR THE EVALUATIONS

This paper is a critical review of studies that evaluate support groups for informal caregivers, a form of intervention that is becoming increasingly prevalent in public and community organizations. After situating the context for support groups, the paper briefly describes types of support groups evaluated, types of evaluative research, principal results, and limitations of the evaluations. The studies reviewed focus mainly on short-term support groups that offer information and emotional support and help develop new skills. The evaluations mainly seek to assess the impact of groups on the consequences of stress by using experimental designs and standardized measures; they pay little attention to evaluating implementation. The majority of studies conclude that support groups have little impact. Three major avenues for future research are proposed: analysis of different types of support groups, multiplicity of theoretical and disciplinary approaches focusing more attention on group dynamics and social issues, and use of a greater range of research methods.