Caring for Family Caregivers:a Research-action Study

Depression and Anxiety Symptoms Reduction and Perceived Wellbeing Improvement in Female Primary Caregivers of Chronically Ill Patients by the Application of Problem Solving Technique by Primary Health Care Nurses

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01786083

Enrollment

122

Registered

2013-02-07

Start date

2007-09-30

Completion date

2011-07-31

Last updated

2013-02-08

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Emotions

Keywords

family caregivers, dependency, Problem Solving Technique, home based nursing

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Problem Solving Technique (PST) in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression among primary caregivers of chronically ill patients. And also to describe and evaluate the process carried out by nurses when implementing the PST as a useful tool for care for family caregivers.

Detailed description

Background: In Spain, home care for the chronically ill and their family caregivers should be a priority in health and social policies due to the aging of the population and the progressive increase in dependent individuals. In our case, 88% of healthcare within dependency care is provided by the family and only 12% by health professionals. The family requires comprehensive and multidisciplinary ongoing care, in which the primary healthcare nurse plays a leading role. One of the areas involved is home-based nursing and counselling for family caregivers, in order to improve the quality of the care provided and to prevent issues arising that may adversely affect the caregiver's life. Method: This is a research-action study with a mixed analysis methodology. Quantitative analysis was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Problem Solving Technique in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression among family caregivers. The clinical trial involved a control and experimental group and pre-post intervention measurements, using the Goldberg scale of anxiety and depression. The sample consisted of 122 caregivers who presented one of these positive subscales. The technique's application process was evaluated for the qualitative analysis, with a content analysis of the records of 10 nurses performing the experimental intervention.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALApplication of Problem Solving Technique

Study design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Caregiver)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

FEMALE

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Caregivers of chronically ill patients included in the ATDOM programme, who at the time of the intervention had a positive score on the Goldberg scale for anxiety and/or depression.

Exclusion criteria

Professional caregivers

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Anxiety	Two years	Goldberg Scale
Depression	Two years	Goldberg scale
perceived wellbeing levels	two years	Primary caregiver's Emotional health(NOC 2506)

Countries

Spain

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026