Providing Evidence-Based Approaches for Caregiver Stress Study (PEACE)

Providing Evidence-Based Approaches for Caregiver Stress (PEACE) Study

The purpose of this preliminary study is to examine the effects of adult day service use on subjective and physiological measures of stress in 50 Black informal caregivers for individuals with dementia (IWD). The PI of the proposed study has substantial training in primary data collection and complex-survey secondary data analysis, she also has the fundamental knowledge to investigate how sociocultural and behavioral factors can influence psychosocial stress. The proposed study will enroll participants from adult day service (ADS) nationally, to examine the effects of adult day service use on subjective and physiological measures of stress in 50 Black informal caregivers. The proposed study extends the current science on the use of ADS on subjective and physiological stress by 1) examining differential impacts of ADS specifically on subjective measures of stress for Black caregivers, 2) evaluating the impact of ADS use on physiological measures of stress among Black caregivers; and 3) examining the relationship between subjective indicators and physiological processes for Black caregivers.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Dementia; Caregiving Stress
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Adult Day Service use for family member with dementia

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 42
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21205
      • Johns Hopkins University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Study Population

Black/African American caregivers for a person living with dementia who utilizes adult day services at least twice a week

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years or older (male or female)
• Self-identify as Black and/or African American,
• Lives with a family member with a physician diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or related dementia
• Primary responsibility for care of the family member who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia
• Utilize Adult Day Services at least two times a week for family member with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia

Exclusion Criteria:

• Either caregiver of client is in active treatment for a terminal illness or are in hospice.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Adult Day Services; Adult Day Service use for family member with dementia	Other: Adult Day Service use for family member with dementia; Self-collection of salivary biomarkers 4 times daily for 5 days, two of those days the family member with dementia has to use adult day services

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Caregiver stress as assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale	Perceived Stress Scale scores range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress	Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Salivary cortisol levels	Saliva will be collected into sterile collection tubes and stored in participants' freezers until sampling. the test volume will be 25 µL with a sensitivity range of 0.007-3.0 µL/dl.	Over a five day period
Salivary alpha-amylase	Saliva will be collected into sterile collection tubes and stored in participants' freezers until sampling. the test volume will be 10 µL with a sensitivity range of 0.4-400 U/mL.	Over a five day period
Salivary Telomere length	Saliva will be collected into sterile collection tubes and stored in participants' freezers until sampling. the test volume will be 2ml	Over a five day period

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Collaborators: National Institute on Aging (NIA)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Lauren Parker, PhD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 2, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 19, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 19, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 5, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 5, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): June 11, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 24, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 23, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Neurocognitive Disorders; Stress, Psychological; Behavior; Caregiver Burden; Dementia
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB00008919; 1K01AG066812-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No