SAGE-LEAF: Reducing Burden in Alzheimer's Disease Caregivers Through Positive Emotion Regulation and Virtual Support

Study Results

Results available

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

15 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-09-30

Study Completion Date

2022-04-30

Brief Summary

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The goal of the proposed study, is to adapt a positive emotion intervention for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) caregivers into a self-guided online format that incorporates social connection components and adaptive system feedback mechanisms to promote intervention adherence. Previous tests of the facilitated version of the program, called SAGE-LEAF (Social Augmentation to self-Guided Electronic delivery of the Life Enhancing Activities for Family caregivers), have shown efficacy for improving well-being in dementia caregivers. If effective, the SAGE-LEAF program can be disseminated to Alzheimer's caregivers nationwide through AD treatment and research centers.

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Detailed Description

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The prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and other dementias is steadily climbing and predicted to affect as many as 16 million Americans by 2050. In 2016, 59% of dementia caregivers reported experiencing high levels of emotional and physical stress, and the risk that the chronic stress of dementia caregiving places on caregivers for developing a range of physical and mental health issues is extensively documented. Caregiving-related stress contributes to social isolation, loneliness, and physical illness and increases the risk of caregiver death. Interventions for dementia caregivers have primarily focused on reducing negative emotions and burden. However, over the past few decades, it has become clear that positive emotions are uniquely related to better psychological and physical well-being, independent of the effects of negative emotion suggesting that an intervention that specifically targets positive emotion holds promise for improving caregiver well-being and, ultimately, quality of care for the individual living with AD. The investigators' recent randomized trial of the positive emotion skills intervention, delivered by trained facilitators via the web in N = 170 family caregivers of people with dementia resulted in significant improvements in caregiver psychological well being. However, facilitator-delivered interventions are costly and difficult to implement with fidelity on a large scale. Furthermore, a major challenge to advancing behavioral interventions delivered by trained facilitators is assuring fidelity. The investigators have developed a self-guided online version of the intervention that has shown feasibility and acceptability in several samples, but this version does not capture the critical social connection aspects of the facilitator-delivered intervention. The investigators propose to take the next step toward closing the science-to-practice gap for the positive emotion regulation intervention by tailoring the self-guided online version specifically for dementia caregivers that incorporates the social connection components to combat the loneliness and isolation experienced by many Alzheimer's caregivers. The intervention, called SAGE-LEAF (Social Augmentation of self-Guided Electronic delivery of the Life Enhancing Activities for Family caregivers), leverages the lessons learned from the original LEAF project and adapts its positive emotion intervention to AD caregivers in a self-guided format while incorporating social connection components and adaptive system feedback mechanisms to promote intervention adherence.

Conditions

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Alzheimer Disease

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Intervention (single arm)

5 session self-guided online delivered positive emotion regulation intervention with social components.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

SAGE LEAF

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

SAGE LEAF covers 8 skills and each skill has related home-practice activities that "unlock" every week. Each week will consist of 1-2 days of didactic material and 5-6 days of real-life home practice. Participants can access the skills at their own leisure and as often as they'd like within that week. Participants cannot skip modules with didactic material and can only progress to the next lesson if they have completed the current one. However, participants can return to old lessons or exercises if they choose to do so at a later time.

Interventions

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SAGE LEAF

SAGE LEAF covers 8 skills and each skill has related home-practice activities that "unlock" every week. Each week will consist of 1-2 days of didactic material and 5-6 days of real-life home practice. Participants can access the skills at their own leisure and as often as they'd like within that week. Participants cannot skip modules with didactic material and can only progress to the next lesson if they have completed the current one. However, participants can return to old lessons or exercises if they choose to do so at a later time.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Adults age 18 and over who identify as the primary caregiver of a family member with Alzheimer's Disease
* Co-reside with the family caregiver
* Speak and read English
* Have internet access and a reliable email address