Affective relationships and quality of life in rare diseases: A systematic review

Abstract

Quality of life in patients and caregivers cannot be conceived without including social needs. The aim of this research is to conduct a systematic review showing empirical evidence of how affective relationships influence the quality of life of patients with rare diseases and their caregivers. A search was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus and PsycInfo databases. A total of 4923 articles were found, which after the screening process were reduced to 12 studies. The effects of affective relationships were found both in the family nucleus and in its components independently (parents, siblings and patients). It is evident that both the family and the extra-familial environment are essential to improve quality of life. It is recommended that future research should study the interactions between the established relationships to offer a better intervention.