Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Aging
Date Submitted: Oct 8, 2023
Open Peer Review Period: Oct 8, 2023 - Oct 23, 2023
Date Accepted: Jan 12, 2024
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
An online intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for family caregivers of people with dementia: A mixed methods feasibility study
ABSTRACT
This feasibility study presents a 9-week guided online self-help intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), incorporating weekly online motivational coaching for family caregivers of people with dementia. The present study evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of this guided online ACT intervention, which was designed to boost psychological flexibility and support caregivers during a collaborative goal-setting, enabling them to realise and commit to their values. A total of n=30 family caregivers enrolled and n=24 completed the post-intervention assessment, indicating a high adherence rate (83%). Caregivers reported positive feedback regarding the collaborative goal-setting, but some found challenges in implementing new skills due to their own habitual responses or unpredictable context of dementia caregiving. Personalizing the intervention based on individual value preferences was highlighted as beneficial. Compared to other self-help online ACT interventions for family caregivers, this study showed a high adherence, which underscores the use of personalisation in delivering online interventions. Moreover, the potential of ACT-based interventions for family caregivers of people with dementia is demonstrated, suggesting that further research and larger-scale controlled trials are warranted to validate its effectiveness.
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Copyright
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