Regular Research ArticleEffects of Problem Solving Therapy on Mental Health Outcomes in Family Caregivers of Persons with a New Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Early Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Section snippets
Participants
The University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) patient registry was searched for all cases diagnosed with MCI in the 6 months before the start of data collection and new cases of MCI or early dementia (any type) diagnosed at the ADRC during the subsequent 46-month time frame. To be eligible, potential participants had to live with the person with the new ADRC MCI or early dementia diagnosis (clinical dementia rating29 of 0 to 1.5) in a community (non-institutional and
Study Feasibility/Acceptability
During the recruitment period (February 1, 2007 to December 30, 2010), 191 individuals received a new ADRC diagnosis of MCI or early dementia. Of the 191 ADRC patients identified, 70% had an eligible caregiver. Of these caregivers, 54% enrolled and were randomized. The final sample of 73 participants consisted of 43 new MCI and 30 new family caregivers. Of these, 5 (6.8%) did not receive an intervention, 9 (12.3%) dropped out during the intervention phase of study, and 5 (6.8%) discontinued
Discussion
This is the first study to test a mental health intervention for family caregivers of persons with cognitive deficits who are relatively early in the dementia caregiving trajectory. Our results suggest that depression symptoms can be prevented or reduced when PST is taught to these caregivers, and that impact was stronger for dementia family caregivers than for MCI caregivers. The PST intervention appeared to have a protective effect on MCI caregivers' depression levels in that it kept them
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2019, International Journal of Nursing StudiesCitation Excerpt :Few studies (n = 5) identified as a part of this scoping review examined interventions for caregivers as they transitioned into the caregiving role following an dementia diagnosis (Ducharme et al., 2011b, 2015; Garand et al., 2014; Milne et al., 2014; Waldorff et al., 2012). Three studies utilized randomised controlled trials (Ducharme et al., 2011b; Garand et al., 2014; Waldorff et al., 2012) and one study evaluated a booster of the original (Ducharme et al., 2015). One study conducted an evaluation of a multi-component psychoeducational intervention, which was focused on information about the disease, local resources, and providing an awareness of the stresses and strains of caring for a person with dementia (Milne et al., 2014).
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