Suut, Norliza and Makhtar, Aniawanis and Syed Elias, Sharifah Munirah and Ahmad, Norfadzilah and Ab Ghani, Nor Nadiya
(2026)
Preparedness, resilience and support systems among family caregivers of stroke survivors: a scoping review.
International Journal of Care Scholars, 9 (3).
pp. 244-261.
ISSN 2600-898X
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.
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