Vulnerability and informal caregiver: a scoping review

Abstract ObjectiveThis review paper examines the concept of vulnerability in the overall literature and its relation to informal caregivers.Vulnerability is frequently associated with the sense of being at risk of harm instead of being acknowledged as a human trait to embrace.Taking a cue from two well-known videos of Brené Brown on how to enact “vulnerability,” we aimed to see if emotional vulnerability - posed/explored as strength or weakness - exists in the informal care context, potentially acting as a powerful resource that teaches individuals to look inward and inspires them to work on themselves. DesignScoping review Data sourcesFollowing PRISMA-ScR checklist for scoping review, the literature was searched in various databases, including PubMed, Scopus and ScienceDirect. Study selection and data extractionWe systematically searched for: 1) observational studies, experimental studies, and systematic reviews 2) that examined the topic of emotional vulnerability in a caregiving context 3) that were relevant to informal caregivers of older adults 4) that were published from 1976 to 2021 5) in English 6) that included populations ≥18 years old 7) and excluded conceptualization of vulnerability outside of the emotional perspective (i.e., environmental, financial, social, biological, genetic, medical). Two reviewers independently reviewed titles and abstracts, reviewed the full text of relevant articles, and extracted the data ResultsFrom 2502 articles, 21 were determined as eligible. ConclusionThe reviewed articles showed the complexity of the vulnerability construct and several different approaches taken to explore this topic. This research concludes the value of vulnerability for human beings. The paucity of literature on the concept of vulnerability for informal caregivers offers a promising avenue for future research in this field. Article summary: Strengths and limitations of this studyThis study reviews the conceptualization of vulnerability across literature from 1976 to date, which was never done beforeThis study draws a unique parallel between vulnerability in formal care settings and informal careThis study re-defines the concept of emotional vulnerability in informal careThe study lacks more concrete first-person perspectives on vulnerability shared by informal caregivers, hence more concrete involvement of informal caregivers would be desirable for representative understanding of the concept of emotional vulnerability in informal care.