Group Therapy For Dementia Caregivers At Risk For Complicated Grief

NCT03177772 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: AARG-17-503706
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 3

Brief Summary

The investigators are adapting Complicated Grief Group Therapy (CGGT) for soon-to-be bereaved dementia caregivers at risk for complicated grief-Pre-Loss Group Therapy (PLGT) to facilitate healthy death preparedness and eventual bereavement. This will be the first known application of proven therapeutic strategies to address complicated grief applied to high-risk dementia caregivers prior to care recipient death to mitigate complicated grief. If proven to be effective in attenuating poor bereavement outcomes, PLGT could be translated into comprehensive caregiver support programs and delivered to active caregivers of living persons with dementia at risk for complicated grief through community-based caregiver support groups.

Conditions

Grief

Keywords

caregivers; grief; dementia; long-term care; psychotherapy group

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Grief

  Change in pre-loss grief as measured by Inventory of Complicated Grief-revised (Prigerson, et al., 1995; ICG-r)

  3 months post death of care recipient

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Meaning Making

  3 months post death of care recipient

• Preparedness

  3 months post death of care recipient

Study Arms (3)

LTC Facility 1

Pre-loss Grief Support Group offered in long-term care facility for dementia family caregivers anticipating the death of their care recipient within next 6 month. Two hour sessions for 10 weeks include psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral and exposure approaches. Supportive others, selected by participants are included in two sessions.

Behavioral: Pre-loss group therapy

LTC Facility 2

Pre-loss Grief Support Group offered in long-term care facility for dementia family caregivers anticipating the death of their care recipient within next 6 month. Two hour sessions for 10 weeks include psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral and exposure approaches. Supportive others, selected by participants are included in two sessions.

Behavioral: Pre-loss group therapy

LTC Facility 3

Pre-loss Grief Support Group offered in long-term care facility for dementia family caregivers anticipating the death of their care recipient within next 6 month. Two hour sessions for 10 weeks include psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral and exposure approaches. Supportive others, selected by participants are included in two sessions.

Behavioral: Pre-loss group therapy

Interventions

Pre-loss group therapy BEHAVIORAL

The PLGT intervention will include CGGT treatment elements modified to address the pre-loss preparation of caregivers at risk for complicated grief, and will focus on the perceived relationship and attachment status between caregiver and care recipient, how memories of the life together, the illness and the death are interpreted, and strategies for preparing for life without the care recipient. These activities include elements of motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy and prolonged exposure therapy.

LTC Facility 1; LTC Facility 2; LTC Facility 3

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Study participants will be ADRD caregivers at risk for CG with a family member diagnosed with ADRD having a life expectancy of less than 6 months and residing in one of three partner Long-term care the facilities

You may qualify if:

• resident ADRD diagnosis,
• life expectancy, "Would you be surprised if this resident died in the next 6 months?" and
• minimum score of 4 on p-BGQ, and
• positive scores on 4 of 9 risk factors will qualify

You may not qualify if:

• Active suicidality (likely hospitalization) will exclude interested individuals from participating

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Utah: lead
• Alzheimer's Association: collaborator

Study Sites (3)

St. Joseph Villa

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84115, United States

Location

Silverado Care Facility

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84117, United States

Location

William E. Christoffersen Veterans Home

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84148, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dementia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: ECOLOGIC OR COMMUNITY
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 26, 2017
• First Posted: June 6, 2017
• Study Start: March 1, 2018
• Primary Completion: May 28, 2021
• Study Completion: August 30, 2021
• Last Updated: November 23, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-11

Locations

US (3)