Self-Management Intervention: Considering Needs & Preferences of Dementia Caregivers (Caregiver Career Study)

Study Results

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

328 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-01-08

Study Completion Date

2024-06-30

Brief Summary

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How do varying levels of participation in selecting self-management interventions (ranging from no input into the selection to selection based on need or preference) affect health risks and physical and mental health over time in family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's and other dementia disorders? Caregivers will be randomized to 1) information on diversional activities (attention control); 2) self-management intervention based on need (SM-need); or 3) self-management intervention of their preference (SM-preference).

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Detailed Description

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The study has two aims: The primary aim (A1) is to examine differences across the three groups (attention control, SM-need, and SM-preference) on caregiver health (health risks and mental and physical health) over time. The investigators hypothesize that the caregivers who receive a self-management intervention based on need (SM-need) or preference (SM-preference) will have better health outcomes than those in the attention control.

Secondary aims are to: A2) explore whether caregiver baseline need or preference for intervention (i.e. choice) is associated with: a) care recipient's symptoms; b) caregiver reactions; and c) caregiving involvement, and A3) build caregiver profiles from demographic/ contextual factors that are associated with their needs and preferences for the self-management interventions.

All caregivers will complete assessment measures and measures of health risks, and physical and mental health at baseline (T1), about 6 months (T2), and about 12 months (T3). Caregivers will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. The attention control group will receive information on diversional activities. The SM-need group will receive a self-management intervention for biofeedback training or resourcefulness training, as determined by baseline cut scores. Caregivers in the SM-preference group will choose one of the two self-management interventions according to their personal preference.

Both self-management interventions (biofeedback training, resourcefulness training) and the diversional activities, are delivered over four weeks (between T1 and T2). Caregivers may use the intervention whenever and as often as they wish (i.e. self-tailoring) for the remainder of the study period. These resourcefulness training includes teaching self-help (stress-management, problem-solving) and help-seeking skills, respectively. Biofeedback training consists of the use of a hand-held device that shows the participant their changes in heart rate based on changes in their breathing pattern (as they relax); caregivers who need or prefer the biofeedback will be given a device to use for 28 days. All study participants receiving the intervention will also be asked to keep a journal to record their experience with the intervention.

Conditions

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Stress Carer Stress Syndrome Dementia Alzheimer's Disease Bereavement

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Investigators Outcome Assessors

Participants were aware of which intervention they were receiving (Resourcefulness Training, HRV-focused BioFeedback, Attention Control: Diversonal Activities, but were not aware of which arm they had been randomly assigned to, or whether their intervention was an active or placebo comparator. The PI and Outcomes Assessor were blinded as to the identity of individual participants, and, during data collection, which participants had been assigned to which arm/intervention. In order to complete study aims, variables indicating arm and intervention assignment were included in the final data file.

Study Groups

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Self-management intervention based on Need

Participants randomly assigned to this arm receive a self-management intervention (Resourcefulness Training or Biofeedback) according to baseline data.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Resourcefulness training

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Resourcefulness training is a cognitive behavioral intervention that consists of teaching and reinforcing personal (self-help) and social (help-seeking) strategies to overcome adversity.

Biofeedback

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Biofeedback training combines teaching slow, deep, paced breathing with real-time tracking to increase an individual's heart rate variability and ultimately improve self-regulation.

Self-management intervention based on Preference

Participants randomly assigned to this arm receive a self-management intervention (Resourcefulness Training or Biofeedback) according to their preference.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Resourcefulness training

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Resourcefulness training is a cognitive behavioral intervention that consists of teaching and reinforcing personal (self-help) and social (help-seeking) strategies to overcome adversity.

Biofeedback

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Biofeedback training combines teaching slow, deep, paced breathing with real-time tracking to increase an individual's heart rate variability and ultimately improve self-regulation.

Attention Control: Diversonal Activities

Participants randomly assigned to this arm will be presented with diversional activities.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Attention Control

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants randomly assigned to this intervention will receive suggested Diversional Activities, presented in an audiovisual format.

Interventions

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Resourcefulness training

Resourcefulness training is a cognitive behavioral intervention that consists of teaching and reinforcing personal (self-help) and social (help-seeking) strategies to overcome adversity.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Biofeedback

Biofeedback training combines teaching slow, deep, paced breathing with real-time tracking to increase an individual's heart rate variability and ultimately improve self-regulation.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Attention Control

Participants randomly assigned to this intervention will receive suggested Diversional Activities, presented in an audiovisual format.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* At least 18 years old
* Have a living family member or a recently deceased family member diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia
* Identify self as a primary caregiver
* In-home Caregivers: must be currently providing a minimum of 4 hours per day of supervision/direct care, and have entered that role within the past twelve months; Care Partners whose family member moved into a nursing or assisted living facility within the past twelve months, and must report visiting their care recipient at least once per week; Caretakers (i.e. bereaved) whose family member is deceased within the past twelve months, and are persons with direct oversight of the deceased person's belongings, estate, finances, etc.
* Be capable of performing informed consent and participating in study procedures

Exclusion Criteria

* Does not have a family member with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia
* Has not cared for a living family member with dementia within the last 12 months, or the family member has been deceased for more than 12 months
* Has knowledge of another family member in the same household enrolled in the study
* Currently pregnant
* Has a pacemaker
* Lives outside of the study area

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes