TY - JOUR
T1 - Self-administered acupressure for symptom management among Chinese family caregivers with caregiver stress: A randomized, wait-list controlled trial
AU - Tiwari, Agnes
AU - Lao, Lixing
AU - Wang, Amy Xiao Min
AU - Cheung, Denise Shuk Ting
AU - So, Mike Ka Pui
AU - Yu, Doris Sau Fung
AU - Lum, Terry Yat Sang
AU - Yuk Fung, Helina Yin King
AU - Yeung, Wing Fai
AU - Zhang, Zhang Jin
PY - 2016/10/28
Y1 - 2016/10/28
N2 - � 2016 The Author(s). Background: Caregiving can be stressful, potentially creating physical and psychological strain. Substantial evidence has shown that family caregivers suffer from significant health problems arising from the demands of caregiving. Although there are programs supporting caregivers, there is little evidence regarding their effectiveness. Acupressure is an ancient Chinese healing method designed to restore the flow of Qi (vital energy) by applying external pressure to acupoints. A randomized, wait-list controlled trial was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-administered acupressure intervention on caregiver stress (primary objective) and stress-related symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, depression, and health-related quality of life (secondary objectives) in Chinese caregivers of older family members. Methods: Two hundred Chinese participants, aged ≥ 21 years, who are the primary caregivers of an older family member and screen positive for caregiver stress and symptoms of fatigue/insomnia/depression will be recruited from a community setting in Hong Kong. Subjects will be randomized to receive either an immediate treatment condition (self-administered acupressure intervention) or a wait-list control condition. The self-administered acupressure intervention will include (i) an individual learning and practice session twice a week for 2 weeks, (ii) a home follow-up visit once a week for 2 weeks, and (iii) 15-min self-practice twice a day for 6 weeks. The wait-list control group will receive the same acupressure training after the intervention group has completed the intervention. We hypothesize that Chinese family caregivers in the intervention group will have lower levels of caregiver stress, fatigue, insomnia, depression, and higher health-related quality of life after completion of the intervention than participants in the wait-list control group. Discussion: This study will provide evidence for the effectiveness of self-administered acupressure in reducing stress and improving symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, depression, and health-related quality of life in Chinese family caregivers. The findings will inform the design of interventions to relieve negative health effects of caregiving. Furthermore, the results can raise community awareness and serve as a basis for policymaking, planning, and allocation of resources regarding empowerment of family caregivers for self-care. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials NCT02526446. Registered August 10, 2015.
AB - � 2016 The Author(s). Background: Caregiving can be stressful, potentially creating physical and psychological strain. Substantial evidence has shown that family caregivers suffer from significant health problems arising from the demands of caregiving. Although there are programs supporting caregivers, there is little evidence regarding their effectiveness. Acupressure is an ancient Chinese healing method designed to restore the flow of Qi (vital energy) by applying external pressure to acupoints. A randomized, wait-list controlled trial was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-administered acupressure intervention on caregiver stress (primary objective) and stress-related symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, depression, and health-related quality of life (secondary objectives) in Chinese caregivers of older family members. Methods: Two hundred Chinese participants, aged ≥ 21 years, who are the primary caregivers of an older family member and screen positive for caregiver stress and symptoms of fatigue/insomnia/depression will be recruited from a community setting in Hong Kong. Subjects will be randomized to receive either an immediate treatment condition (self-administered acupressure intervention) or a wait-list control condition. The self-administered acupressure intervention will include (i) an individual learning and practice session twice a week for 2 weeks, (ii) a home follow-up visit once a week for 2 weeks, and (iii) 15-min self-practice twice a day for 6 weeks. The wait-list control group will receive the same acupressure training after the intervention group has completed the intervention. We hypothesize that Chinese family caregivers in the intervention group will have lower levels of caregiver stress, fatigue, insomnia, depression, and higher health-related quality of life after completion of the intervention than participants in the wait-list control group. Discussion: This study will provide evidence for the effectiveness of self-administered acupressure in reducing stress and improving symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, depression, and health-related quality of life in Chinese family caregivers. The findings will inform the design of interventions to relieve negative health effects of caregiving. Furthermore, the results can raise community awareness and serve as a basis for policymaking, planning, and allocation of resources regarding empowerment of family caregivers for self-care. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials NCT02526446. Registered August 10, 2015.
KW - Acupressure
KW - Caregiver stress
KW - Chinese
KW - Depression
KW - Family caregivers
KW - Fatigue
KW - Health-related quality of life
KW - Insomnia
KW - Intervention
KW - Randomized controlled trial (RCT)
KW - Self-administered acupressure
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84992524669&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12906-016-1409-1
DO - 10.1186/s12906-016-1409-1
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 27793197
SN - 1472-6882
VL - 16
JO - BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
JF - BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
IS - 1
M1 - 424
ER -