Abstract
Objective: This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of Coping with Caregiving (CWC) psychoeducational program for Chinese family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease in Hong Kong. Method: Twenty-seven female primary caregivers were randomized to join the treatment group or wait-list control group. The caregivers in the treatment group participated in 13 weekly training sessions which taught specific cognitive-behavioral strategies to handle caregiving stress. Results: As compared to the wait-list control group, caregivers completing the CWC program demonstrated a significant increase in their self-efficacy for controlling their upsetting thoughts and handling disruptive behaviors of the care recipients. They also reported a significant increase in the use of both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. Conclusion: These findings suggested that cognitive-behavioral programs can be effective in improving the resourcefulness of Chinese caregivers of persons with dementia in Hong Kong. Practice implications: Future CWC programs will have to enhance participants' ability to differentiate among various coping skills and to use situation-appropriate strategies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 256-260 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Patient Education and Counseling |
| Volume | 78 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2010 |
Keywords
- Caregiver
- Coping flexibility
- Dementia
- Intervention
- Psychoeducation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine