Exploring Arts-Based Methods in Unpaid Caregiving Contexts: A Scoping Review

Introduction:
Unpaid caregiving plays a crucial role in supporting older adults, requiring innovative approaches to understand and enhance caregivers' experiences. As a response, this scoping review investigates the application of arts-based methods in understanding the caregiving experience, as well as the advantages and limitations of these methods in providing care to diverse populations.

Goals and Methods:
Building on Arksey and O’Malley's framework (2005), our methodology draws from the Joanna Briggs Institute approach. Eligibility criteria encompassed peer-reviewed publications in English from 2007 to 2022, focusing on unpaid caregivers, arts-based methods, and caregiving experiences. Six comprehensive databases were queried, with the initial searches yielding 66 articles. Subsequent screening identified 17 papers for in-depth review.

Results:
A preliminary analysis of the literature revealed the multifaceted applications of arts-based methods in understanding and supporting unpaid caregivers. These encompassed a wide range of creative techniques, such as visual arts, photovoice, storytelling, and performance – which provided insights into the emotional, psychological, and social dimensions of caregiving. Findings highlighted the potential for arts-based methods to enhance caregiver well-being, foster self-reflection and self-care, and promote dialogue. Nonetheless, there were notable gaps. Racial and ethnic diversity was often neglected in the studies (addressed in 3 of the 17), underscoring the necessity for tailored interventions and methodological considerations for diverse populations. Importantly, dementia caregiving received substantial attention (11 the of 17 papers).

Conclusions:
This scoping review highlights the growing interest in integrating arts-based methods into caregiving research and interventions amongst qualitative and mixed methods approaches. By mapping out the landscape of existing literature, this review underscores the need for further exploration and methodological refinement to harness the full potential of creative techniques in advancing our understanding of unpaid caregivers' lived experiences. Arts-based approaches hold promise in providing a nuanced and holistic perspective on unpaid caregiving experiences.