Clinical trial NCT02672800: A Psychosocial Intervention for Bereaved Spousal Caregivers of Persons With Dementia
Official title: A Psychosocial Intervention for Bereaved Spousal Caregivers of Persons With Dementia: Adapting the "Finding Balance" Tool
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Dementia
Bereavement
Lead sponsor: University of Saskatchewan
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2016-02-03
Enrollment: 16
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 60
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a writing intervention (Reclaiming Yourself), intended to facilitate bereavement for spousal caregivers whose partners died with dementia.

Detailed description: The current research is part 3 of a multi-phase project, whose purpose was to examine the experience of bereavement for spousal caregivers to persons with dementia. Based on spouses' shared experiences and the input of experts in the field (i.e. bereavement/dementia researchers, health care providers), an existing writing intervention called the Finding Balance tool was adapted from the context of cancer bereavement to that of dementia.

The purpose of this third phase is to test this adapted writing intervention (Reclaiming Yourself) with bereaved spouses of persons with dementia. Participants will be randomly assigned into one of two groups: treatment (who will receive the tool); and control (who will not be offered the tool until a later stage). The feasibility and acceptability of the intervention will be assessed, as well as the degree to which it facilitated participants' bereavement, ability to find balance, and psychological health.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* bereaved for three months or longer
* were a caregiver for their spouse with advanced dementia
* English speaking
* willing and able to share their bereavement experience

Exclusion Criteria:

* those with other than a spousal relationship to the person with dementia
* spousal caregivers of persons with another terminal disease
* those bereaved less than 3 months
* those unable to provide consent

Primary outcomes:
measure: Inventory of Daily Widowed Life (IDWL)- change at 1 and 2 months post-intervention
timeFrame: The measure will be administered pre-intervention, 1 month following the introduction of the intervention, and 2 months following the introduction of the intervention
measure: Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale- Revised (CESD-R)- change at 1 and 2 months post-intervention
timeFrame: The measure will be administered pre-intervention, 1 month following the introduction of the intervention, and 2 months following the introduction of the intervention
measure: Texas Revised Inventory of Grief, Present Feelings- change at 1 and 2 months post-intervention
timeFrame: The measure will be administered pre-intervention, 1 month following the introduction of the intervention, and 2 months following the introduction of the intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Semi-structured qualitative evaluation interviews
timeFrame: Post intervention (after 1 month)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Saskatoon
country: Canada
facility: University of Saskatchewan
state: Saskatchewan
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Saskatchewan
name: Shelley Peacock, RN, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: