A Psychosocial Intervention for Bereaved Spousal Caregivers of Persons With Dementia

NCT ID: NCT02672800

Last Updated: 2018-05-04

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 16 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2016-03-31
• Study Completion Date: 2018-03-31

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a writing intervention (Reclaiming Yourself), intended to facilitate bereavement for spousal caregivers whose partners died with dementia.

Detailed Description

The current research is part 3 of a multi-phase project, whose purpose was to examine the experience of bereavement for spousal caregivers to persons with dementia. Based on spouses' shared experiences and the input of experts in the field (i.e. bereavement/dementia researchers, health care providers), an existing writing intervention called the Finding Balance tool was adapted from the context of cancer bereavement to that of dementia.

The purpose of this third phase is to test this adapted writing intervention (Reclaiming Yourself) with bereaved spouses of persons with dementia. Participants will be randomly assigned into one of two groups: treatment (who will receive the tool); and control (who will not be offered the tool until a later stage). The feasibility and acceptability of the intervention will be assessed, as well as the degree to which it facilitated participants' bereavement, ability to find balance, and psychological health.

Conditions

Dementia; Bereavement

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Writing intervention

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

the Reclaiming Yourself tool

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

This tool is a behavioural writing intervention, intended to facilitate bereavement for spousal caregivers of persons with dementia

Control

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

the Reclaiming Yourself tool

This tool is a behavioural writing intervention, intended to facilitate bereavement for spousal caregivers of persons with dementia

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• bereaved for three months or longer
• were a caregiver for their spouse with advanced dementia
• English speaking
• willing and able to share their bereavement experience

Exclusion Criteria

• those with other than a spousal relationship to the person with dementia
• spousal caregivers of persons with another terminal disease
• those bereaved less than 3 months
• those unable to provide consent

• Minimum Eligible Age: 60 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Saskatchewan

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Shelley Peacock

Assistant Professor, College of Nursing

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Shelley Peacock, RN, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Saskatchewan

Locations

University of Saskatchewan

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Countries

Canada

Other Identifiers

15-313

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id