Improving Well-Being for Older Adult Family Dementia Caregivers

May 5, 2023 updated by: Kathi Heffner, University of Rochester

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Family Caregivers of Dementia Patients

This study will examine the effects of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program and the Living Well program, compared to a control group, to see if the programs might be associated with better immune function (response to current influenza vaccine), physical and emotional health, and well-being.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

A considerable literature documents that a wide variety of psychosocial interventions can lessen the psychological burden of family or spousal dementia caregiving. Some caregiver intervention studies have included measures of self-reported physical health and sleep, and others have focused on improving inflammation in caregivers. The current study will add to this literature by examining the effects of two behavioral interventions on adaptive immune responses, particularly, antibody response to influenza vaccination, in older adult family caregivers.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
142

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • Rochester, New York, United States, 14642
        • University of Rochester Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

55 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 55 years of age and older
  • English-speaking (consent process and assessments will be conducted in English only)
  • Currently living with or in proximity to, and the primary caregiver for, a loved one with dementia who lives in the community-for the purposes of this study, "loved one" refers to a family member such as a spouse, ex-spouse, significant other, sibling, in-law, parent, or other type of close established relationship (e.g., close friend) regarded as family; "primary caregivers" provide daily informal (non-paid) in-person care.
  • Currently experiencing moderate to high levels of perceived stress (PSS-10 ≥ 12) and/or caregiver burden (MCSI ≥ 5)
  • Participants will be asked to stabilize medications prior to beginning the trial, and for the duration of the trial (If medication dose changes do occur, analytic models will include those changes as time-varying covariates)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Loved one with dementia currently resides in a long-term care facility (e.g., nursing home) without the caregiver.
  • Given the didactic and self-directed nature of the MBSR program, individuals with major, uncorrected sensory impairments and cognitive deficits, as determined by a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score of 23 or lower 29, will be excluded, as will participants with other neuropsychological deficits deemed significant enough to interfere with study participation. Low literacy is not an exclusion criterion; questionnaires will be orally administered when necessary.
  • Modules from the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Exam (MINI 30) will be used to exclude subjects who have these psychiatric conditions: current alcohol dependence, current non-alcohol psychoactive substance use dependence, psychotic disorders (current and lifetime), bipolar disorder, and current mood disorder with psychotic features.
  • Subjects will also be excluded for the following reasons: having completed an MBSR program in the past; allergy to eggs (the influenza vaccine is most commonly manufactured using an egg-based process); history of Guillain-Barré syndrome; immunodeficiency or receipt of immunosuppressive therapy; recent major surgery; and active neoplastic disease.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program
The MBSR program is an eight-week-long course designed to teach subjects how to develop their inner resources in the service of taking better care of themselves. MBSR training includes the learning and refining of a range of skills aimed at increasing relaxation and awareness of physical experiences and sensations related to physical symptoms, emotions, and thoughts. Special emphasis is placed on movement, meditation, and breathing.
Behavioral: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program
Group-based intervention
Other Names:
  • MBSR
Active Comparator: Living Well (LW) Program
LW is an eight-week course of group presentations and discussions on topics related to the promotion of health and well-being in the context of dementia caregiving. LW is designed to teach participants how to improve their physical and emotional health as a complement to traditional medical treatments.
Behavioral: Living Well Program
Group-based intervention
No Intervention: Usual Care
The usual care arm is a no intervention group wherein participants experience their usual circumstances.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Antibody response to influenza vaccination
Time Frame: pre-vaccination to 6 weeks and 6 months post-vaccination
Change in amount of antibody titers following influenza vaccination
pre-vaccination to 6 weeks and 6 months post-vaccination

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Granzyme B (GrzB) activity after influenza vaccination
Time Frame: pre-vaccination to 6 weeks and 6 months post-vaccination
Change in GrzB activity, a measure of antigen-specific cytotoxic T cell activity, following influenza vaccination
pre-vaccination to 6 weeks and 6 months post-vaccination
Ratio of T-cell cytokines, interferon (IFN)-gamma and IL-10
Time Frame: pre-vaccination to 6 weeks and 6 months post-vaccination
Change in IFN:IL-10 ratio following influenza vaccination
pre-vaccination to 6 weeks and 6 months post-vaccination
Inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha
Time Frame: baseline to 6 weeks to 6 months post-intervention
Change in inflammatory cytokine levels over time
baseline to 6 weeks to 6 months post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Rochester

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 18, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 3, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 3, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 15, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 16, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 19, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 8, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 5, 2023

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STUDY00000881
  • R01AG052495 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Data sharing is in accordance with NIH Data Sharing Policy.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Within 12 months of study end

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE
  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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