Process and Outcomes: the Influence of Gains in Knowledge and Socioemotional Skills on Caregivers’ Well-being

• Published in: Trends in Psychology 2021-03, Vol.29 (1), p.67-85
• Main Authors: Campos, Camila Rafael Ferreira, de Carvalho, Thaís Ramos, Queluz, Francine Nathalie Ferraresi Rodrigues, Setti, Anik Giovanna Barham, Barham, Elizabeth Joan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Behavior modification; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Caregivers; Cognition & reasoning; Coping; Dementia; Illnesses; Intervention; Mental depression; Older people; Original Article; Psychology; Quality of life; Skills; Stress; Well being
• ISSN: 2358-1883; 2358-1883
• DOI: 10.1007/s43076-020-00044-0

To assess the validity of intervention programs, we need to understand how they work and for whom. We evaluated a program for caregivers, ComTato , using a quasi-experimental design (pretest, posttest), to determine (a) which specific program-related gains are associated with improvements in well-being and (b) whether participants’ initial repertoire influences program benefits. All 37 participants (average age of 52.7 years) cared for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease. Participants completed instruments to evaluate their caregiving repertoire and their socioemotional well-being (use of constructive coping strategies, perceptions of burden, and quality of the caregiver-care recipient relationship). Caregivers learned about dementia, stress management, principles of social skills, the use of specific social skills, and principles of cognitive stimulation. We observed that (a) the greater the increase in knowledge and skills, the greater the increase in caregivers’ use of constructive coping strategies ( r  = .30, p  = .037), with use of social skills being the component with the strongest association ( r  = .36, p  = .014); (b) the greater the improvements in knowledge about social skills, the larger the reductions in conflicts with the care recipient ( rho  = − .28, p  = .048); and (c) seven correlations indicated that the lower the caregivers’ initial repertoire, the greater their socioemotional health gains. Thus, increases in caregivers’ knowledge and socioemotional skills seem to contribute to improvements in their socioemotional well-being, and the lower their pre-existing repertoire, the more they benefitted from the program. In future studies, researchers should investigate how other socioemotional factors influence program benefits.