This protocol plans to map research on caregiving stress and epigenetic-clock biological aging in adult family caregivers of cancer patients.
Evidence
This is a scoping review protocol using Joanna Briggs Institute methods and planned searches across PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycInfo.
Caveat
Because it is a protocol, it reports planned eligibility criteria and dissemination rather than review results or evidence about caregiving effects.
Simplified
INTRODUCTION: Chronic caregiving stress accelerates biological aging, reflecting disease risk and mortality; however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. , which can be estimated from levels of DNA methylation in a subset of cytosine-phosphate-guanine loci in the genome, have been proposed as a promising biological age estimator. The objectives of this scoping review are to systematically scope the literature on the effects of stress on biological ageing measured by epigenetic clocks in family caregivers of patients diagnosed with cancer.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This review will be conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology based on Arksey and O'Malley's and Levac's framework and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for scoping reviews. Studies will be included if (1) the studies focus on unpaid family caregivers of patients diagnosed with cancer; (2) caregivers are adults (≥18 years of age) and (3) the study measured epigenetic clocks. The search will encompass literature and peer-reviewed literature in PubMed/MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine), Embase (Elsevier), Cochrane CENTRAL (Wiley & Sons), Web of Science: Core Collection (Clarivate Analytics), CINAHL (EBSCO) and PsycInfo (American Psychological Association). et al host
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Since the scoping review methodology focuses on published literature, this study does not require ethical approval. We will publish our findings in a peer-reviewed journal and plan to disseminate our work in conferences and scientific meetings.
SCOPING REVIEW REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/KW7RT).
Full Text
We can’t show the full text here under this license.
