TY - JOUR
T1 - Telephone-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Caregivers of Persons with Dementia
T2 - Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
AU - Risch, Anne Katrin
AU - Lechner-Meichsner, Franziska
AU - Wilz, Gabriele
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2024/8/21
Y1 - 2024/8/21
N2 - Objectives: Family caregivers of persons with dementia (PwD) experience high levels of distress. We used a randomized-controlled trial to investigate the effects of telephone-based acceptance and commitment therapy (tbACT) for family caregivers. Methods: Caregivers were randomly allocated to an intervention group (tbACT, n = 41) or an untreated control group (CG, n = 40). The intervention consisted of eight weekly sessions of tbACT. Depression and anxiety (primary outcomes), physical symptoms, pre-death grief, care-related thoughts, acceptance (secondary outcomes), quality of life, coping and well-being (well-being/coping outcomes) were assessed pre- and post-assessment. A 6-month follow-up was conducted. Results: Compared to CG participants, tbACT participants had at post-assessment significantly lower depressive symptoms; fewer physical symptoms (rheumatic pain); better physical health; more resource utilization (coping with daily hassles, social support); better coping with the care situation and better emotional well-being. During the six-month follow-up, tbACT participants showed less pre-death grief, fewer physical symptoms, and more utilization of resources related to coping with daily hassles. Conclusions: tbACT is a feasible and promising psychotherapeutic intervention for family caregivers of PwD. Because of small sample size our results are preliminary. Clinical Implications: Most of the effects of tbACT were not maintained 6 months after the intervention, suggesting that booster sessions may be helpful.
AB - Objectives: Family caregivers of persons with dementia (PwD) experience high levels of distress. We used a randomized-controlled trial to investigate the effects of telephone-based acceptance and commitment therapy (tbACT) for family caregivers. Methods: Caregivers were randomly allocated to an intervention group (tbACT, n = 41) or an untreated control group (CG, n = 40). The intervention consisted of eight weekly sessions of tbACT. Depression and anxiety (primary outcomes), physical symptoms, pre-death grief, care-related thoughts, acceptance (secondary outcomes), quality of life, coping and well-being (well-being/coping outcomes) were assessed pre- and post-assessment. A 6-month follow-up was conducted. Results: Compared to CG participants, tbACT participants had at post-assessment significantly lower depressive symptoms; fewer physical symptoms (rheumatic pain); better physical health; more resource utilization (coping with daily hassles, social support); better coping with the care situation and better emotional well-being. During the six-month follow-up, tbACT participants showed less pre-death grief, fewer physical symptoms, and more utilization of resources related to coping with daily hassles. Conclusions: tbACT is a feasible and promising psychotherapeutic intervention for family caregivers of PwD. Because of small sample size our results are preliminary. Clinical Implications: Most of the effects of tbACT were not maintained 6 months after the intervention, suggesting that booster sessions may be helpful.
KW - Dementia
KW - family caregivers
KW - mental health
KW - telephone-based intervention
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85201798115&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/07317115.2024.2393307
DO - 10.1080/07317115.2024.2393307
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85201798115
SN - 0731-7115
JO - Clinical Gerontologist
JF - Clinical Gerontologist
ER -