Western Journal of Nursing Research

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

The Diabetes Educator

Click here for more information

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
0193945907303084v1
29/8/944    most recent
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Farran, C. J.
Right arrow Articles by Evans, D. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Farran, C. J.
Right arrow Articles by Evans, D. A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
This version was published on December 1, 2007
Western Journal of Nursing Research, Vol. 29, No. 8, 944-960 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0193945907303084
© 2007 SAGE Publications

Efficacy of Behavioral Interventions for Dementia Caregivers

Carol J. Farran

Rush University Medical Center, Carol_J_Farran{at}rush.edu

David W. Gilley

Rush University Medical Center

Judith J. McCann

Rush University Medical Center

Julia L. Bienias

Rush University Medical Center

David A. Lindeman

Mather Institute on Aging

Denis A. Evans

Rush University Medical Center

Behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, particularly agitation, appear to be a major contributing factor to the emotional distress exhibited by family caregivers. Psychosocial interventions have been shown to reduce caregiver emotional distress, but few studies have examined the efficacy of these interventions with caregivers exposed to high levels of dementia-related behavioral symptoms. The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of a caregiver skill building intervention in reducing emotional distress to agitated behaviors of care recipients. This study analyzed data from a subgroup of caregivers who participated in a larger randomized clinical trial (N = 295). Data from 143 caregivers of family members with baseline agitated behaviors indicate that the skill building intervention was more effective than an information and support oriented comparison condition in reducing emotional distress over an 18-month period. These findings indicate that dementia caregivers exposed to agitated behaviors can benefit from psychosocial interventions, particularly those aimed at building behavioral management skills.

Key Words: Alzheimer's disease • behavioral symptoms • family caregiver skill building intervention • randomized clinical trial


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?