Effects on Dementia Caregivers

December 3, 2024 updated by: University of Central Florida

Testing a Strategy to Improve the Effects of Caregiving for Caregivers of Persons with Dementia

The Three Good Things (3GT) is a gratitude list intervention that is empirically supported (Emmons & McCullough, 2003; Seligman et al., 2005) and is a low-cost, easily accessible tool for medical and mental providers to recommend and dementia caregivers to implement independently. Thus, this study aims to investigate the feasibility of use of 3GT in the dementia caregiving population and investigate potential therapeutic mechanisms of the intervention.

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

The hypothesis predicts that Caregivers of persons diagnosed with dementia who are randomized into the intervention group (3GT) will report reduced levels of depression, burden, burnout, show an increase in levels of gratitude, increased positive emotion, and increased positive reframing (Brief COPE: Positive Reinterpretation scale and Positive Aspects of Caregiving measure) as compared to baseline levels, and post-follow up assessment in 15 days. The participants will be recruited from local community partners and Amazon MTurk. They will be randomized into 2 groups; one group will be asked to reflect on three good things that happened that day, and the other group will be asked to reflect on early memories. Participants will be reminded via text message daily for 15 days and asked to document their three good things or early memories on a Qualtrics link that will be provided in the text message. Additionally, they will be asked to answer 10 mood-related questions daily. An ANOVA will be used to assess the pre and post intervention differences between groups for depression, burden, burnout, gratitude, positive emotion, and positive reframing. Multilevel modeling will be used to assess the relationships between gratitude and depression at the within-subjects level and then between-subjects by intervention condition. Identified demographic factors will be added to covary at both levels of analysis. Data will be de-identified and stored on a University of Central Florida local hard drive, which requires special permission and password-protected profiles.

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.
50

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
    • Florida
      • Orlando, Florida, United States, 32816
        • University of Central Florida

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Self-identified caregivers of persons with dementia at least 18 years of age
  • Identify English as their primary language
  • Self-report current care for an older adult with dementia identified by a medical professional

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants that are currently receiving psychotherapy, have a diagnosis of dementia, and/or severe mental illness
  • Individuals under the age of 18 years old
  • Adults who cannot consent in English
  • Pregnant women and prisoners will not be included in the study.
  • Participants who do not have access to a phone that can not receive text messages will not be able to participate, as equipment will not be provided to Participants.

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: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Active Comparator: Intervention Protocol (The 3GT)
Participants will be asked to identify three things that went well that day and their role for this occurring ["What went well today, and what was your role in making it happen?" as adapted from (Sexton & Adair, 2019)]. They will be asked to engage in this exercise for 15 days during the evening.
Other: Intervention Protocol (The 3GT)
Participants will be asked to identify three things that went well that day and their role for this occurring ["What went well today, and what was your role in making it happen?" as adapted from (Sexton & Adair, 2019)]. They will be asked to engage in this exercise for 15 days during the evening.
Active Comparator: Control Group
Participants will be asked to reflect on early memories of their life, with no specific prompts provided, for 15 days during the evening. This activity is consistent with prior efficacy studies of 3GT (Seligman et al., 2005).
Other: Control Group
Participants will be asked to reflect on early memories of their life, with no specific prompts provided, for 15 days during the evening. This activity is consistent with prior efficacy studies of 3GT (Seligman et al., 2005).

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
To measure gratitude using The Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6)
Time Frame: 6 months
The Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6), which is a widely used measure trait gratitude will be used. The GQ-6 is a 6 item self-report questionnaire that assesses gratitude disposition in an individual.
6 months
To measure depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 10)
Time Frame: 6 months
For this study, the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 10) will be used to measure depressive symptoms
6 months
To measure burnout using The Informal Caregiver Burnout Inventory 10 (ICBI-10)
Time Frame: 6 months
The Informal Caregiver Burnout Inventory 10 (ICBI-10) is a new measure developed to capture burnout specifically in caregivers, aiming to validate prior attempts to modify language in general use burnout measures that typically capture occupational burnout.
6 months
To assess positive emotion using The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)
Time Frame: 6 months
The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) will be utilized to assess positive affect. The PANAS is a 20-item self-report measure assessing two dimensions of affect (positive and negative) utilizing 5-point Likert scale.
6 months
To measure positive reframing using the Brief COPE Inventory: Positive Reinterpretation subscale
Time Frame: 6 months
To measure positive reframing, the Brief COPE Inventory: Positive Reinterpretation subscale will be used (Items 12 and 17), which is a measure that assess different types of coping utilized by individuals in stressful situations.
6 months
To evaluate practical implications of positive reframing using the Positive Aspects of Caregiving measure
Time Frame: 6 months
The Positive Aspects of Caregiving measure is a 9-item self-report scale assessing the positive factors associated with caregiving, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("Disagree a lot") to 5 ("Agree").
6 months
Assess caregiver burden using the Zarit Burden Interview
Time Frame: 6 months
The Zarit Burden Interview, short form (ZBI-SF) will be used to measure participants subjective burden related to their caregiving role.
6 months
To asses ICN1-10 validity, the Burnout Measure, Short (BMS) will be used
Time Frame: 6 months
To provide convergent validity for the use of the ICBI-10 in this sample, the Burnout Measure, Short (BMS) will be used, which is a widely used measure of burnout. The BMS is a 10-item, self-report measure that assess three factors of burnout including physical, emotional and mental exhaustion.
6 months
To measure daily depressive symptoms using the NIH Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)
Time Frame: 6 months
4 questions adapted from the The NIH Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) short form depression item will be used.
6 months

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 Central Florida

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Nicole McClure, MS, MA, University of Central Florida

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.
March 14, 2023

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.
January 4, 2024

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.
January 4, 2024

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).
June 19, 2024

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.
June 19, 2024

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.
June 25, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
December 6, 2024

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.
December 3, 2024

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.
December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • STUDY00004299

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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