Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Aging
Date Submitted: Nov 17, 2018
Open Peer Review Period: Nov 21, 2018 - Dec 12, 2018
Date Accepted: Dec 27, 2018
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Mentalizing Imagery Therapy mobile application to enhance mood of family dementia caregiver: Feasibility and Limited Efficacy Testing
ABSTRACT
Background:
Family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) often experience high stress and are at high risk for depression. Technologically-delivered therapy is attractive for AD/ADRD caregivers because of time demands associated with in-person participation.
Objective:
We aimed to study the feasibility and conduct limited efficacy testing of a mobile application (App) intervention delivering Mentalizing Imagery Therapy (MIT) for family caregivers.
Methods:
A 4-week trial of the MIT App for family AD/ADRD caregivers was conducted to assess feasibility of use and investigate changes in depression symptoms, mood and the caregiving experience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to characterize participants’ perceived feasibility and benefits.
Results:
80% of 21 consented participants (mean age 67, range 54-79) utilized the App at least once and were further analyzed. Average usage of audio recordings was on 14±10 (SD) days out of 28 possible, and comprised 29±28 individual sessions. There were improvements in depression with a large effect size for those who used the App at least moderately (p < .01), and increases in positive mood (p < .05). Semi-structured interviews revealed perceived benefits such as greater ability to remain “centered" despite caregiving challenges and positive reframing of the caregiver experience.
Conclusions:
App delivery of MIT is feasible for family AD/ADRD caregivers, including aging seniors. Results showed moderate to high usage of the app for a majority of the users. Limited efficacy testing provides justification for studying the MIT App for AD/ADRD caregivers to improve mood and reduce depression in larger, controlled trials.
Citation
Per the author's request the PDF is not available.
Copyright
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