Comparing Education Methods for Dementia Caregivers
This study is looking for adults aged 50 or older who are unpaid caregivers for a family member or friend with dementia and feel stressed. It aims to compare two ways of teaching caregivers how to manage dementia symptoms and reduce their own stress: Structured Retrieval Practice and Reading-Based Education. Structured Retrieval Practice involves learning through repeated active recall and feedback, while Reading-Based Education uses traditional written materials. Researchers want to see which method helps caregivers learn and remember information better, feel more confident in their caregiving skills, and experience less stress. The study plans to enroll 65 participants and will measure these outcomes at different times over two months.
- Study design
- This is a randomized controlled trial, meaning participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. It plans to enroll 65 participants.
- What's involved
- You will participate in an educational intervention and have your knowledge, confidence, and stress levels assessed at the start, and then again 2 days, 2 weeks, and 2 months later.
- Compensation
- Not stated in the trial record.
- Follow-up
- Participants will be followed for 2 months after the intervention.
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Comparing Structured Retrieval Practice and Reading-Based Education for Dementia Caregivers
At a glance
Conditions
Where it's being run
1 sites across 1 statesWho to contact
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What this trial measures
- Caregiver Knowledge RetentionBaseline; 2 days post-intervention; 2 weeks post-intervention; 2 months post-intervention
Caregiver knowledge retention will be assessed using a researcher-developed multiple-choice assessment designed to measure factual and applied knowledge related to dementia symptom management and caregiver stress management. The assessment will consist of 64 items written at or below an 8th-grade reading level and tailored to each participant's selected learning content. Scores will reflect the total number of items answered correctly, with higher scores indicating greater knowledge retention.
- Caregiver Self-EfficacyBaseline; 2 days post-intervention; 2 weeks post-intervention; 2 months post-intervention
Caregiver self-efficacy will be measured using the Revised Scale for Caregiving Self-Efficacy (RSCSE). The RSCSE is a validated self-report instrument assessing caregivers' confidence in managing stress, responding to disruptive behaviors, and controlling upsetting thoughts. The measure includes three subscales, each consisting of five items rated on a 0% to 100% confidence scale. Subscale scores will be summed to create composite indices, with higher scores indicating greater caregiving self-efficacy.
- Caregiver Perceived StressBaseline; 2 days post-intervention; 2 weeks post-intervention; 2 months post-intervention
Caregiver perceived stress will be assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), a widely used self-report measure of perceived stress. Participants rate items on a 5-point Likert scale based on the frequency of stress-related experiences in the past month. Total scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress.