The Meaning and Experience of Humour for Caregivers of People with Dementia: A systematic review.

Rationale for the reviewDespite growing interest in non-pharmacological approaches to dementia care, the role of humour as an interpersonal and emotional resource remains under-explored in the academic literature. Previous research has often focused on structured humour-based interventions or on patient outcomes such as mood or agitation, rather than examining how caregivers understand, experience, and use humour in everyday practice. Moreover, no systematic review has synthesised qualitative research on this topic, nor compared the perspectives of formal and informal caregiversSynthesising the qualitative literature will offer a richer conceptualisation of how humour is experienced in dementia care interactions, including its perceived benefits, challenges, and ethical boundaries. Such insight is vital for informing communication training for staff, supporting family caregivers, and shaping compassionate, person-centred care.The findings will also inform and contextualise the empirical component of this thesis, which explores how inpatient mental health staff use humour and laughter in communication with PWD. Together, the systematic review and qualitative study will offer a coherent, clinically relevant contribution to understanding relational communication and emotional labour in dementia care.