Behavioral Activation for Dementia Caregivers

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dementia Caregivers

Treatments: Behavioral: Behavioral activation; Other: Psychoeducation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03552159

HCPF2012

Details and patient eligibility

About

This project was designed to test a model targeted intervention for dementia caregivers telephone program consisting of both psychoeducation and behavioral activation components to reduce the burden of caregivers. The program is delivered by telephone to increase accessibility and sustainability for caregivers.

Full description

The study compared two telephone interventions using a four-month longitudinal randomized controlled trial. For the first four weeks, all participants received the same psychoeducation program via telephone. Then for the following four months, eight biweekly telephone follow-up calls were carried out. For these eight follow-up calls, participants were randomized into either one of the two following groups with different conditions. For the Psychoeducation with BA (PsyED-BA) group, participants would receive eight biweekly sessions of BA practice focused on pleasant event scheduling and improving communications. For the Psychoeducation only (PsyED Only) group, there would be eight biweekly sessions of general discussion of psychoeducation and related information

Enrollment: 96 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 25 to 70 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

They were caregivers aged 25 or above and must have be caring for a care recipient diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease for at least 3 months. They should be the primary caregiver and a spouse, kin (e.g. daughter/son or daughter/son-in-law) or sibling of the care recipient.

Exclusion criteria

To ensure intervention fidelity, participants who showed signs of severe intellectual deficits, demonstrate suicidal ideation, exhibit evidence of psychotic disorders, or cannot read or speak fluent Chinese / Cantonese were excluded.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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96 participants in 2 patient groups

Behavioral Activation

Experimental group

Description:

For the first 4 weeks,participants received psychoeducation about the symptoms and associated behavioral changes of dementia and the possible effects on the caregivers, t the physical, social and psychological consequences of stress, event scheduling and communication skills. After psychoeducation, eight bi-weekly behavioral activation sessions were administered, focusing pleasant event scheduling and effective communications.

Treatment:

Other: Psychoeducation

Behavioral: Behavioral activation

Psychoeducation

Active Comparator group

Description:

For the first 4 weeks, participants were taught about the symptoms and associated behavioral changes of dementia and the possible effects on the caregivers, the physical, social and psychological consequences of stress, event scheduling and communication skills. After psychoeducation, eight biweekly phone sessions of general support but not behavioral activation.

Treatment:

Other: Psychoeducation