Our primary objective is to evaluate the feasibility and validity of using the ESM, specifically the PsyMate, in this target population. A secondary objective is to examine potential reactivity effects of performing the ESM.
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Other condition
Synonym
Health condition
Psychische belasting/stress bij partners van patiënten met de ziekte van Alzheimer
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
- Feasibility of the PsyMate: assessed by examining objective measures of
compliance with the PsyMate, as well as through subjective participants ratings
of the difficulty, time burden, and overall acceptability of the methodology.
- Validity of the PsyMate: assessed by examining the presence of expected
patterns among variables in daily life of the caregiver using the PsyMate and
by examining the concordance between ESM measurements and standard
retrospective measurements of the same construct.
Secondary outcome
- Potential reactivity effects of using the PsyMate: assessed by comparing the
outcomes of the retrospective questionnaires filled out before and after the
ESM data collection.
Background summary
A vast majority of the dementia patients is living at home and is cared for by
their spouses. Spousal caregivers often provide years of extensive care for
their partner and must adapt to a continuously changing and demanding
situation. The prevalence of psychological and physical problems in caregivers
increases rapidly in moderate to severe dementia. More than 80% of the
caregivers are at risk of reaching their upper limits during the disease
process. Ecologically valid information on how caregivers perceive and react on
a daily basis to the challenges of dementia is lacking. Insight into daily
caregiver perceptions, moods, and activities in the presence and absence of the
dementia patient uncovers subtle and fine-drawn patterns of interaction between
patient and caregiver in the flow of daily life. The Experience Sampling
Methodology (ESM) is an innovative technique that is specifically appropriate
for this kind of momentary assessment in daily life. To our knowledge, there is
only one study that employed this methodology with spousal caregivers of
dementia patients. More studies are needed to extend our knowledge about the
use of the ESM in this target population.
Study objective
Our primary objective is to evaluate the feasibility and validity of using the
ESM, specifically the PsyMate, in this target population. A secondary objective
is to examine potential reactivity effects of performing the ESM.
Study design
This study involves a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and validity of
the PsyMate in spousal caregivers of dementia patients.
Intervention
Participants will be asked to collect ESM data using the PsyMate over a 6-day
period. The PsyMate will generate ten signals a day at unpredictable moments
between 07:30 and 22:30h. After each signal, short reports of the current
context (activity, company, patient present, location), appraisals of the
current situation, subjective caregiver burden and mood will be collected.
Before and after ESM data collection participants will be asked to fill out a
number of retrospective questionnaires concerning their mood, perceived stress,
sense of competence, feelings of control, quality of life, coping style, and
patient behavior. In addition, they will be asked to fill out a questionnaire
about their general experiences using the PsyMate.
Study burden and risks
To our knowledge, there are no major risks associated with the use of the
PsyMate. We don*t expect the PsyMate questions to be too confronting or
emotionally stressful to cause any psychological harm to the participants,
because the questions concern the overall daily functioning of the caregiver.
However, we acknowledge that the ESM can be time-consuming and demanding for
participants. We have tried to take this into account by limiting the number of
PsyMate questions to a number that is acceptable according to the literature.
Dr. Tanslaan 10
Maastricht 6229 ET
NL
Dr. Tanslaan 10
Maastricht 6229 ET
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
- Spousal caregiver of a patiënt that is diagnosed with dementia.
- Caregiver and patient share a household.
- Written informed consent is obtained.
Exclusion criteria
- Caregivers who have insufficient cognitive abilities to engage in the ESM (based on clinical judgment).
- Caregivers who are overburdened or have severe health problems (based on clinical judgment).
Design
Recruitment
Followed up by the following (possibly more current) registration
No registrations found.
Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
No registrations found.
In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| Other | 3574 |
| CCMO | NL41834.068.12 |