The Black Immigrant Project

Exploring an Adapted Active Caregiving: Empowering Skills (ACES) Intervention for High-Risk Care Partners

This stage I trial will examine if the culturally adapted ACES intervention affects cognitive appraisal (self-efficacy and dysfunctional thoughts) and behavioral activation with Black immigrant living with dementia and their care partners over a 1-month and 3-month period.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Dementia
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Active Caregiving: Enhancing Skills

Detailed Description

The proposed study has two major aims. First, the goal is to determine the feasibility of implementing the adapted ACES intervention with Black immigrant families. It uses an explanatory mixed-methods study, including quantitative data collected using a pre-posttest design, and in-depth qualitative interviews with participants following the post-test to understand their experiences with the newly adapted intervention.

Secondly, an extended version of the study will test the potential mechanisms of action in the adapted ACES intervention with Black immigrant caregivers. Specifically, it will examine whether cognitive appraisal and behavioral activation are mechanisms of action that influence the effects of the adapted intervention on care partner outcomes.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 150
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Manka Nkimbeng, PhD; Phone Number: 612-624-3904; Email: vitals@umn.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Minnesota
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455
      • Recruiting
      • University of Minnesota
      • Contact: Manka Nkimbeng, PhD; Phone Number: 612-624-3904; Email: vitals@umn.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Person with dementia:

Inclusion Criteria:

• Family or self-identified report of dementia/memory loss,
• Score <3 on the Six-item Screener.
• Age 50 or older.
• Ability to communicate in English.
• Identify as a Black immigrant.
• Ability to give verbal assent.

Exclusion Criteria

• Under age 50.
• Not a Black immigrant.
• Cannot communicate in English.
• Unable to give verbal assent.

Caregiver:

Inclusion criteria:

• Black immigrant care partner of persons with AD/ADRD.
• Age 18 or older.
• Ability to communicate in English.
• Identify as a first/second-generation Black immigrant.
• Have had at least 6 months of caregiving (any help or assistance provided to a relative related to dementia/memory loss).

Exclusion Criteria

• Under age 18.
• Not first/second generation Black immigrant.
• Cannot communicate in English.
• Has less than 6 months of caregiving to a relative with dementia/memory loss.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Adapted ACES intervention; The adapted Active Caregiving: Enhancing Skills intervention was developed in partnership with Black immigrant dementia care partners. It is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (a type of psychotherapy) and suggests that a person's behavior and affect are guided by how they structure the world. Through the process of cognitive appraisal (how to evaluate something in your mind) and behavioral activation (how to start a new behavior), the intervention will help the caregiver change their cognitive appraisal (e.g., re-orienting the way they think) and behavioral skills (e.g., changing their behavior or activities) to cope with difficulties in the caregiving process. This group program has six modules that will be offered over weekly sessions through remote technology such as Zoom.	Other: Active Caregiving: Enhancing Skills; The Active Caregiving: Enhancing Skills intervention was developed in partnership with Black immigrant dementia care partners. It is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (one type of psychotherapy), and it suggests that a person's behavior and affect are guided by how they structure the world. Through the process of cognitive appraisal (how to evaluate something in your mind) and behavioral activation (how to start a new behavior), the intervention will help the caregiver change their cognitive appraisal (e.g., re-orienting the way they think) and behavioral skills (e.g., changing their behavior or activities) to cope with difficulties in the caregiving process. This group program has six modules that will be offered over weekly sessions through remote technology such as Zoom.
No Intervention: Waitlist control group; Participants in this arm will receive the adapted ACES intervention following the waiting period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Depression: Week 6	Scale Reference: Kroenke et al. 2009 Min=0-Low Max=24-High	Week 6
Depression: Month 4.5	Scale Reference: Kroenke et al. 2009 Min=0-Low Max=24-High	Month 4.5
Caregiver Burden: Month 3	Burden Scale for Family Caregivers (BSFCs): Min=0-- Bad Max=30--Good	Month 3
Caregiver Burden: Month 4.5	Burden Scale for Family Caregivers (BSFCs): Min=0-- Bad Max=30--Good	Month 4.5
Quality of Life: Month 3	Global Health Scale (PROMIS) Min=8--Worst Max=50--Best	Month 3
Quality of Life: Month 4.5	Global Health Scale (PROMIS) Min=8--Worst Max=50--Best	Month 4.5

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Minnesota
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Manka Nkimbeng, PhD, University of Minnesota

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 3, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 16, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 23, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 16, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Black immigrants
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Neurocognitive Disorders; Dementia
• Other Study ID Numbers: ACES; CON000000106758 (Other Grant/Funding Number: NIH NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING); CON000000094116 (Other Grant/Funding Number: NIH NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING)

Drug and device information, study documents

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