Psychological Distress
Conditions
Keywords
Caregivers, Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Burden, Quality of life, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness, Psychological health
Brief summary
The pilot project aims to investigate the feasibility and the preliminary efficacy of a guided online acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention for distressed family caregivers of people with dementia. A one-group pretest-posttest design (n=15) will be used to investigate the potential effects of the 10 weekly online ACT intervention session on caregivers' outcomes at posttest (10 weeks).
Detailed description
This project will employ one-group pretest-posttest design to investigate the potential impact of a guided online ACT intervention on improving quality of life and psychological health in distressed family caregivers of people with dementia. After the baseline evaluation, eligible caregivers will receive 10 weekly ACT sessions, individually delivered by a licensed professional counselor online. Each session lasts for one hour. Primary outcome measures will be psychological distress measured by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS)- 21 and care-related quality of life measured by the Care-related Quality of Life instrument (CarerQol). A one-time interview at the completion of the 10 weekly sessions will be conducted to explore caregivers' experiences in the intervention.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALAcceptance and Commitment Therapy
Participants will receive 10 weekly individual acceptance and commitment therapy by a trained coach through zoom video-conferencing.
Sponsors
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. community-dwelling adults (age 18 or over) who are currently taking primary responsibility for the care of a relative with dementia living in the community 2. devoting at least 1 hour daily to the care of the relative with dementia 3. having cared for a relative with dementia for at least 3 months 4. suffering at least mild symptoms of psychological distress measured by the DASS-21 (scores ≥ 5 on Depression Subscale of DASS-21, scores ≥ 4 on Anxiety Subscale, or scores ≥ 8 on Stress Subscale) 5. having a computer/smartphone with internet access capable of doing web browsing and video-conferencing 6. being able to provide informed consent by understanding the nature of study participation.
Exclusion criteria
1. having cognitive, physical, or sensory deficits, or language barriers (non-English communicator) that impede study participation 2. receiving a psychological therapy currently 3. having psychiatric hospitalizations or diagnoses of mental illness in the previous 2 years 4. taking antipsychotic or anticonvulsant medication at the time of recruitment 5. considering or planning to place family members of dementia in a nursing home within 6 months 6. having the possibility of study dropouts due to other medical conditions of family members with dementia (e.g., conditions that may impede study participation due to frequent hospitalization or death).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Care-related Quality of Life instrument | Change from baseline to 10 weeks | Care-related Quality of Life instrument (CarerQol) assesses the impact of providing informal care on caregivers and combines a 7-item subjective burden measure (CarerQol-7D) with well-being (CarerQol-VAS). Higher scores indicate higher levels of quality of life. |
| Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 | Change from baseline to 10 weeks | The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS)- 21 is a 21-item self report instrument designed to measure the three related negative emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress. Higher scores represent greater symptomatology. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced | Change from baseline to 10 weeks | Brief COPE (Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced) is a 28-item self-report questionnaire measuring coping strategies in response to stressors. Three composite subscales include problem-focused, emotion-focused, and dysfunctional coping strategies. Higher scores on a subscale indicates more frequent use of the relevant coping strategies. |
| Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey | Change from baseline to 10 weeks | The Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS) is a 12-item self-assessment instrument that measures a person's subjective experience of the meaningfulness of everyday activities. Higher scores indicate greater levels of engagement in meaningful activities. |
| Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II | Change from baseline to 10 weeks | The Action and Acceptance Questionnaire (AAQ)-II is a 7-item self-report questionnaire measuring psychological flexibility. Higher scores indicate poor psychological flexibility. |
| Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire | Change from baseline to 10 weeks | The Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ)-7 is a 7-item self-report questionnaire measuring cognitive fusion. Higher scores indicate greater levels of cognitive fusion. |
| Experiential Avoidance in Caregiving Questionnaire | Change from baseline to 10 weeks | The Experiential Avoidance in Caregiving Questionnaire (EACQ) is a 15-item self-report questionnaire measuring experiential avoidance in caregivers. Higher scores indicate greater levels of experiential avoidance. |
| Zarit Burden Interview | Change from baseline to 10 weeks | The Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) is a 12-item self-report questionnaire assessing caregiver. Higher scores indicate higher levels of burden. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cortisol levels by collecting fingernails | Change from baseline to 10 weeks | A biological measure of stress will be assessed through analysis of cortisol levels in caregivers' nail samples. |
| System Usability Scale | at 10 weeks | The System Usability Scale (SUS) is a 10-item self-report questionnaire measuring usability of a program/intervention. Higher scores indicate greater levels of perceived usability of the intervention. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed