Strengths-based interventions for patients with chronic disease(s) and/or caregivers: a systematic review

Aim To provide an overview of the available interventional studies on strengths-based interventions for patients with chronic disease(s) and/or caregivers and evaluate the strengths-based intervention in improving patient- and caregiver-related outcomes. Background Chronic diseases often impose prolonged physical, psychological, and care-related burdens on affected individuals and their caregivers, underscoring the need for person-centered supportive approaches. In this context, strengths-based interventions demonstrate significant potential among individuals with chronic diseases and/or their caregivers. Methods Seven electronic databases, including Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched from inception to August 19, 2025. Two researchers independently performed the literature screening, quality appraisal, and data extraction. A main researcher was consulted to resolve discrepancies when necessary. The quality of evidence was appraised using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool for randomized trials and the ROBINS-I tool for quasi-experimental studies. This review was reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. A narrative synthesis and meta-analysis were used to synthesize data. Results 15 studies involving 2904 patients were identified and critically appraised in this review, which included three quasi-experimental studies and 12 randomized controlled trials. This review identified emerging evidence that strengths-based interventions enhance health-related psychosocial and behavioral outcomes such as health behavior adherence and well-being, mitigate anxiety, distress, and depression, and improve caregivers’ caregiving skills and problem-solving abilities. Meta-analysis results of 12 comparable studies indicated that implementing a strengths-based intervention did not significantly affect the dropout rate ( OR : 0.83, 95% CI : 0.61 to 1.14). Conclusions The findings support the effectiveness of strengths-based intervention in improving patient and caregiver outcomes. However, due to the inter-study heterogeneity (population, chronic disease type), caution is needed in interpreting these results. More high-quality studies are needed to further examine the effectiveness of strengths-based interventions.