Pre-Pilot: Problem Adaptation THerapy in Caregivers

Pre-Pilot: Adapting and Testing an Evidence-Based Emotion Regulation Therapy for Use by Caregivers of Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD)

The proposed pre-pilot project seeks to adapt an evidence-based psychosocial intervention-Pain Adaptation Therapy (PATH)-that employs emotion regulation, behavioral activation, and problem-solving skills training, that will be augmented with a caregiver (CG) education component, for use by CGs of individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD).

The study team will conduct an uncontrolled pre-pilot test of an adapted PATH-Care intervention with family CGs of persons with ADRD (target N=15). Following the informed consent process, screening, and enrollment, participants will complete a baseline assessment, 8 PATH-Care sessions with short feedback interviews, tablet-based exercises, and a post-intervention assessment.

Primary Objective(s): To adapt the existing PATH intervention as a tool to mitigate negative emotions and stress experienced by informal CGs of individuals with ADRD, by employing an evidence-based user-center design protocol and obtaining additional suggestions for program refinement through an uncontrolled usability study.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 18
• English speaking
• Informal caregiver of an individual with ADRD diagnosis
• Lives with or near the care recipient
• Provides at least 10 hours of care per week to a person with ADRD
• Has provided care to a person with ADRD for 6 months or more, prior to enrollment
• Cognitively intact (Score of ≥ 26 on adjusted MoCA-Blind)
• Score of ≥ 12 on the Negative Affect Scale of Positive and Negative Affect Schedule OR at least one significant negative emotion (score of ≥ 3)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age ≤ 18
• Non-English speaking
• Paid caregiver
• Care recipient does not have ADRD diagnosis
• Provides care for less than 10 hours per week
• Has provided care for less than 6 months, prior to enrollment
• Care recipient is currently enrolled in hospice
• Meets criteria for severe Major Depression (Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale ≥ 30) that may require hospitalization
• Significant Cognitive impairment (Score of < 26 on adjusted MoCA-Blind)
• Score of < 12 on the Negative Affect Scale of Positive and Negative Affect Schedule or no significant negative emotion