Stress Reduction
Conditions
Keywords
Digital intervention, Mindfulness, Stress reduction
Brief summary
African American caregivers of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have unique needs because they are more likely to experience stressors related to intersecting sources of stigma, discrimination, and caregiving burdens specifically associated with caregiving for PLWHA. The proposed project will enhance and finalize Phase I app development and evaluate its effectiveness in a randomized controlled trial. The project has high public health significance because of its potential to provide an accessible, easy to use mindfulness-based support tool for African American caregivers that could reduce stress, mitigate the harm of intersecting stigmas, and strengthen the caregiver-care recipient relationship.
Detailed description
Building upon prior research regarding mindfulness-based stress reduction interventions, during Phase I, we successfully developed a prototype mobile application (app) for caregivers entitled Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for African American Caregivers (MBSR-AAC). Based on the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework, components of the app focus on decreasing stress associated with intersecting sources of stigma, discrimination, and caregiving burdens specifically associated with caregiving for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). In the present Phase II SBIR study, we will build on Phase I findings to incorporate research-driven enhancements to the app, conduct a feasibility trial of the enhanced app, and conduct a randomized clinical trial to examine the effectiveness of the app in reducing caregiver stress. If proven to be effective, the MBSR-AAC app could have a positive impact on the well-being of African American caregivers that serve as a critical pillar of support for many PLWHA.
Interventions
DEVICEmindfulness-based stress reduction app
mobile application (app) for caregivers
Sponsors
Friends Research Institute, Inc.
COG Analytics
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
The evaluation will involve a two-group RCT in which 100 African American informal caregivers of PLWHA, who previously participated in a caregiver study will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) MBSR-AAC app (n=50): Participants will receive the MBSR-AAC app for 8-weeks; or (2) Comparison (n=50): Participants will receive information regarding caregiver services and resources for 8-weeks. Assessments will be conducted with all participants at baseline and 4-, 8-, and 12-weeks post-baseline.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age 18 or older * African American * Currently a main unpaid caregiver (defined as providing emotional, physical, and financial support) to a person living with HIV/AIDS.
Exclusion criteria
• Inability to provide informed consent (e.g., compromised comprehension).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived caregiver stress | Up to 12 weeks | The degree to which stressful situations occurred during a specific period of time. |
| Caregiver self-compassion | Up to 12 weeks | Caregiver self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification during a specific period of time. |
| Caregiver-care recipient relationships | Up to 12 weeks | The degree to which the caregiver feels close to the care recipient |
| Caregiver burden | Up to 12 weeks | An assessment of various dimensions of caregiver burden (e.g., isolation, relationship strain, privacy, social life, and health). |
| Caregiver depressive and anxiety symptoms | Up to 12 weeks | An assessment of caregiver clinical symptoms of depression and anxiety. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Stigma and discrimination | Up to 12 weeks | An assessment of caregiver general feelings of shame, rejection, and avoidance and an assessment of discrimination experiences in the day-to-day lives of caregivers. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed