A Ten-Week Online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention for Family Caregivers of People With Dementia

A Ten-Week Online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention Guided by a Coach for Family Caregivers of People With Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial aims to assess the effects of a coach-guided ten-week videoconferencing acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) program on mental health outcomes in depressed family caregivers of people with dementia (PwD) compared to the control group. A total of 32 family caregivers of PwD who meet the eligibility criteria will be recruited and randomized to either the intervention group or the control group. The hypotheses are that the ACT group will show improvements in depressive symptoms, other mental health outcomes, and ACT process measures at posttest and 3-month follow-up, compared to the control group.

This randomized controlled trial aims to assess the effects of a coach-guided ten-week videoconferencing acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) program on mental health outcomes in depressed family caregivers of people with dementia (PwD) compared to the control group. A total of 32 family caregivers of PwD who meet the eligibility criteria will be recruited and randomized to either the intervention group or the control group. Caregivers randomly assigned to the intervention group will receive individual ACT sessions guided by a trained coach for one hour per week over 10 weeks through Zoom videoconferencing with supplemental psychoeducation materials provided. Caregivers randomly assigned to the control group will receive care as usual with psychoeducation materials provided during the study period. Outcomes regarding caregivers' mental health and ACT processes will be collected at three time points (i.e., pretest, posttest, and 3-month follow-up) and compared between groups over time. The hypotheses are that the ACT group will show improvements in depressive symptoms, other mental health outcomes, and ACT process measures at posttest and 3-month follow-up, compared to the control group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• community-dwelling adults (age 18 or over) who are currently taking the primary responsibility for the care of a relative with dementia living in the community
• having at least mild depression as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9
• having a computer or a smartphone with the internet access at home and
• being able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• having cognitive, physical, or sensory deficits or language barriers (non-English communicator) that impede study participation
• having psychiatric hospitalizations or diagnoses of mental illness in the previous two years
• taking antipsychotic or anticonvulsant medication at the time of recruitment
• considering or planning to place family members of PwD in a nursing home within 6 months or
• having the possibility of study dropouts due to medical conditions of caregivers (e.g., surgery that may affect mental health) and their relatives with dementia (e.g., conditions that may impede study participation due to frequent hospitalization or death)