A review of conceptualisation of expressed emotion in caregivers of older adults with dementia

Aims and Objectives To clarify the concept of ‘expressed emotion’ and its application to caregivers of older adults with dementia. Background Expressed emotion has been a useful construct for understanding the quality of family relationships affecting patients with mental illness and their caregivers. However, this concept has been developed without precisely defining ‘expressed emotion’ as it pertains to dementia patients. Clarity regarding expressed emotion will enable nurses to apply knowledge of expressed emotion and provide important information for the development of new clinical interventions for this specific population. Design Integrative review. Methods A review of literature on expressed emotion by caregivers of older adults with dementia. The inclusion criteria were: (1) published in English or Chinese during 1970–2012; (2) included both research and theoretical review articles on expressed emotion in nursing and other disciplines such as psychology, psychiatry and sociology. Initially, 236 articles were screened, and finally, 32 articles were evaluated for this review. Results Emotional expression and expressed emotion were discussed to clarify the distinctions and address overlap between these two similar terms. In addition, expressed emotion was examined further from three different aspects: trait or state, social control and cross‐cultural. Finally, the results of reviewed papers for expressed emotion on dementia patients were explored and synthesised. Conclusion A conceptual definition and a theoretical framework for the concept of expressed emotion are urgently needed to further our understanding of this critical phenomenon. With increasing attention to caregiving for patients with dementia, including the concept of expressed emotion in the research of this field may accelerate understanding of the importance of the family dynamics in advanced ageing caregiving. Relevance to clinical practice The expressed emotion concept could guide much of current clinical practice and help professional nurses understand the family's experience and perspective on mental illness, especially regarding dementia within the family.