Abstract
Objectives This study determined whether the NYU Caregiver Intervention for Adult Children (the NYUCI-AC) significantly reduced depressive symptoms and improved quality of life for adult child caregivers of persons with dementia. Methods The NYUCI-AC was evaluated within a single-blinded randomized controlled trial. The sample included 107 adult child caregivers of persons with dementia (N = 54 assigned to the multi-component treatment group; N = 53 assigned to a contact control group). Participants completed comprehensive assessments every 4 months during the first year and every 6 months thereafter for at least 2 years and up to 3.79 years. Results Individual growth curve models found that caregivers in the NYUCI-AC treatment condition indicated statistically significant (p <0.05) curvilinear decreases in symptoms of depression indicating withdrawal, apathy, and lack of vigor and increases in perceptions of overall quality of life over a 3-year period in comparison to control caregivers. Conclusions The NYUCI-AC offered adult child caregivers the capacity, via individual and family counseling as well as ongoing support, to enhance their quality of life and overcome their social withdrawal and apathy over time. These findings lend additional support to the NYUCI as an evidence-based approach to support family caregivers of persons with dementia.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1179-1192 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 1 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was supported by grant R01 AG01022066. This project was also supported by grants 1UL1RR033183 8 and UL1 TR000114-02 to the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute and P30 AG08051 to the NYU Alzheimer's Disease Center. The authors thank David L. Roth, PhD, for his guidance. The authors would also like to thank William Haley, Steve Zarit, Kristie Kellis, Cynthia Epstein, Mary Boldischar, Vanessa Berglund, Katie Wocken, Sarah Wooley, Mary Dang, Ronit Notkin, Olanta Barton, and June Aaronson for their clinical and scientific expertise, data management, and/or data entry on this project. The authors would especially like to acknowledge the families who contributed their valuable time to this study.
Funding Information:
This research was supported by grant R01AG01022066. This project was also supported by grants 1UL1RR033183 8 and UL1 TR000114-02 to the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute and P30 AG08051 to the NYU Alzheimer's Disease Center.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.
Keywords
- Alzheimer disease
- caregiving
- depression