Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Caregivers of Frail Older Chinese Adults: A Study Protocol

Studies have consistently showed that informal caregivers have worse health, more medical consultations, anxiety and depression, and lower quality of life than those who do not provide such care. Positive outcomes of psychoeducation interventions have been found, but many of them are relatively long...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2022-04, Vol.19 (9), p.5447
Main Authors: Lo, Herman H M, Au, Alma, Cho, W V, Lau, Elsa N S, Wong, Janet Y H, Wong, Samuel Y S, Yeung, Jerf W K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult children
Adults
Anxiety
Behavior
Caregivers
Coping
Dementia
Emotions
Families & family life
Frailty
Heart rate
Intervention
Mental depression
Mental health
Mindfulness
Older people
Physiology
Problem solving
Quality of life
Stress
Study Protocol
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Summary:Studies have consistently showed that informal caregivers have worse health, more medical consultations, anxiety and depression, and lower quality of life than those who do not provide such care. Positive outcomes of psychoeducation interventions have been found, but many of them are relatively long in duration, making them less cost-effective in implementation. The proposed study is a multi-site, three-arm randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness-based intervention for Chinese family caregivers. Effects of the intervention will be compared with those of an evidence-based psychoeducation program and treatment-as-usual. Two hundred forty cross-generational caregivers of frail older adults with moderate to severe levels of frailty will be recruited and randomly assigned to mindfulness-based intervention, psychoeducation, and treatment-as-usual experimental conditions. Program effectiveness will be analyzed on measures of caregiver burden, depression, anxiety, positive caregiving experience, spirituality, family conflict, and the biomarker of heart rate variability. Measures on coping styles, experiential avoidance, and self-efficacy will be explored to see if they mediate the changes to participant improvements in outcomes. Six-month follow-up will be included to investigate the maintenance effects. This study will provide evidence on mindfulness-based interventions on caregivers of frail older adults and expand the existing models of intergenerational caregiving in Chinese culture.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph19095447