Social Media-based Electronic Bibliotherapy for Dementia Caregivers

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Mental Health; Quality of Life; Dementia Caregivers
• Interventions: Other: Usual care; Other: Social media-based electronic bibliotherapy

• Registration Number: NCT06327022
• Lead Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Brief Summary

This study aims to assess the efficacy of social media-based electronic bibliotherapy in improving the well-being of informal caregivers of people with dementia compared to a control group.

Detailed Description

This randomized controlled trial aims to assess the efficacy of social media-based electronic bibliotherapy in improving the well-being of informal caregivers. Sixty informal caregivers of people with dementia were recruited and randomly allocated to the social media-based electronic bibliotherapy group or usual care group. Participants in the social media-based electronic bibliotherapy group received eight weekly e-bibliotherapy sessions. The control group only accepted the usual care provided by community services, but they received the same intervention materials as the intervention group after project completion. Mental health, caregiving appraisal, health-related quality of life, and psychological well-being were measured to test the intervention's effects immediately after completion. Individual interviews were conducted to explore caregivers' experiences participating in this study within two weeks after completing the intervention.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2022-07-01
• Primary Completion: 2023-12-31
• Study Completion: 2023-12-31
• Status Verified: 2024-02
• Study First Submitted: 2024-02-18
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-03-20
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-03-20
• Study First Posted: 2024-03-25
• Last Update Posted: 2024-03-25

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 60

Inclusion Criteria

• caregivers providing regular care to individuals with mild to moderately severe dementia (Global Deterioration Scale=4~6 of any type), requiring at least five hours per week for a minimum duration of six months;
• aged 18 or above;
• not receiving payment for caregiving services rendered;
• assisting with at least one daily activity of the care recipient;
• possessing reading ability;
• utilized social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WeChat for over six months.

Exclusion Criteria

• caregivers with unstable physical or mental conditions;
• caregivers unable to communicate logically;
• involvement in another interventional study

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Usual care	Usual care	Routine services provided by community centers
Social media-based electronic bibliotherapy	Social media-based electronic bibliotherapy	Eight weekly sessions of social media-based electronic bibliotherapy

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in mental health	Pre-intervention, post-intervention (i.e., within one week after completing the intervention)	Mental health will be measured with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. It is a 4-point Likert scale consisting of 21 items that measure levels ofdepression, anxiety, and stress in participants. Higher scores indicategreater severity of mental health problems.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in caregiving appraisal	Pre-intervention, post-intervention (i.e., within one week after completing the intervention)	Caregiving appraisal will be assessed using the Caregiving Appraisal Scale. It is a 26-item Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Higher scores on this scale indicate more positive caregiving appraisal.
Changes in health related quality of life	Pre-intervention, post-intervention (i.e., within one week after completing the intervention)	The health-related quality of life will be assessed using the 12-item Short Form Survey. It comprises two domains, namely the physical component summary and the mental component summary. Higher scores indicate better health-related quality of life.
Changes in psychological wellbeing	Pre-intervention, post-intervention (i.e., within one week after completing the intervention)	The psychological well-being will be assessed using the shorter Chinese version of Ryff's psychological well-being scale. This scale is a Likert 6-point scale (1=strongly disagree, 6=strongly agree) comprising 18 items. Higher scores indicate greater levels of psychological well-being.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; 🇭🇰 Kowloon, Hong Kong