{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T15:07:43Z","timestamp":1789052863276,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787875200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ.","EJIHPE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Population aging has led to an increasing proportion of older adults (aged 65 and older) acting as informal caregivers. These caregivers face risks of burden, stress, and depression. While research frequently documents negative psychological outcomes, resilience represents a crucial protective process. This systematic review synthesizes and maps the empirical evidence regarding the association between the socio-ecological resilience process and the well-being of older informal caregivers. Methods: Following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) mixed-methods guidelines, a convergent segregated mixed studies systematic review was conducted. A systematic search of Medline (PubMed), CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus identified primary articles (2014\u20132025) in English and Spanish. Methodological quality was appraised using JBI critical appraisal checklists and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. PROSPERO registration number: CRD420251142190. Results: Thirty-one studies were included. Elevated caregiver resilience was associated with lower reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, higher self-rated health, and positive psychological adaptation. Framed within a social ecological model, personal resources such as spirituality, hope, and self care, alongside relational assets like dyadic relationship quality and mutual coping, demonstrated a positive association with resilience and a reduction in subjective burden. Within the community context, informal peer networks and Online Health Communities functioned as essential supportive resources. On a structural level, both household wealth and the regional availability of long-term care beds acted as moderators for spousal well-being, whereas exceeding 30 weekly caregiving hours acted as a temporal threshold for positive adaptation. Conclusions: These findings suggest that resilience in older caregivers may be best conceptualized not as a static individual trait, but as a multi-level, dynamic socio-ecological process. Rather than relying on individual coping alone, public policies and clinical practice should prioritize systemic, relational, and structural environmental support, including formal respite services and long-term care infrastructure, to preserve the well-being of older spousal caregivers.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ejihpe16090129","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T18:33:52Z","timestamp":1787942032000},"page":"129","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Resilience and Protective Factors Associated with Well-Being Among Older Informal Caregivers: A Convergent Segregated Mixed Studies Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-1482-9077","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alba","family":"Peraza Delgado","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Programa en Ciencias M\u00e9dicas y Farmac\u00e9uticas, Desarrollo y Calidad de Vida, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain"},{"name":"Unidad de Investigaci\u00f3n, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de Candelaria y de la Gerencia de Atenci\u00f3n Primaria de Tenerife, 38010 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8958-051X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yurena Mar\u00eda","family":"Rodr\u00edguez Novo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Enfermer\u00eda, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain"},{"name":"Grupo de Investigaci\u00f3n de la ULL IENFERCAN, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-4211-7669","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Miguel L\u00f3pez","family":"Mart\u00ednez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Programa en Ciencias M\u00e9dicas y Farmac\u00e9uticas, Desarrollo y Calidad de Vida, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain"},{"name":"Servicio de Urgencias y Emergencias, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de Candelaria, 38010 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2291-1505","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mercedes","family":"Novo Mu\u00f1oz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Enfermer\u00eda, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain"},{"name":"Grupo de Investigaci\u00f3n de la ULL IENFERCAN, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.4321\/S1134-928X2014000200002","article-title":"An\u00e1lisis del concepto de envejecimiento","volume":"25","year":"2014","journal-title":"Gerokomos"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1417","DOI":"10.1111\/jan.12528","article-title":"The association between positive-negative reactions of informal caregivers of people with dementia and health outcomes in eight European countries: A cross-sectional study","volume":"71","author":"Alvira","year":"2015","journal-title":"Journal of Advance Nursing"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2220","DOI":"10.1111\/jgs.15039","article-title":"Association between spousal caregiver well-being and care recipient healthcare expenditures","volume":"65","author":"Ankuda","year":"2017","journal-title":"Journal of the American Geriatrics Society"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Betini, R. 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