Clinical Interventions in Aging (Apr 2014)
Effectiveness of online cognitive behavioral therapy on family caregivers of people with dementia
Abstract
Timothy Kwok,1,2 Alma Au,3 Bel Wong,1 Isaac Ip,1 Vivian Mak,1 Florence Ho11Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing, 2Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong; 3Department of Applied Social Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong KongPurpose: Family caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD) may receive caregiver training because of logistical constraints and privacy concerns. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an online intervention for family caregivers of PWD in improving their self-efficacy in managing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), and their emotion well-being.Subjects and methods: A total of 36 family caregivers of people with dementia participated in a 9-week online intervention based on the cognitive behavioral therapy model. Outcomes of the intervention were measured by the Chinese version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire and two domains of the Revised Scale for Caregiving Self-Efficacy. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to compare the change in outcome variables.Results: The severity of BPSD of PWD and BPSD-related distress in family caregivers showed a statistically significant reduction after the intervention. Subgroup analysis showed self-efficacy in controlling upsetting thoughts significantly improved in caregivers of PWD at moderate to severe stages.Conclusion: Online cognitive behavioral therapy for family caregivers reduced BPSD of PWD and the related distress in their caregivers.Keywords: online intervention, dementia caregiver, emotional self-efficacy, BPSD
