Mobile App Intervention for Informal Dementia Caregivers

NCT05551533 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: PHG20.P.I.2.6
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 59
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Informal caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD) usually experience elevated levels of caregiving burden and potential depression. This project aims to develop and pilot-test a mobile app intervention for informal caregivers of PWD in Singapore. The project will have three phases in total including 1) phase 1 - to develop the app prototype and collect feedback from caregivers via focused group discussions. 2) a pilot RCT with 60 participants in total - 30 will be required to use the app for one month while another 30 will be on a waiting list for one month. and 3) in-depth interviews to seek users' feedback on the app for its future improvements. We hypothesize that the mobile app designed through a user-centered process would lead to high acceptance and high user engagement among local dementia caregivers. The 1-month intervention using the app developed subsequently would lower the reported depressive symptoms among local dementia caregiver. It will also improve their knowledge of dementia, caregiving efficacy, positive coping strategy, perceived positive aspects of caregiver and social support, and their mental well-being; and reduce their caregiving burden, and level of anxiety, compared to the control group.

Conditions

Dementia; Digital Health; Caregiver Burden

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Baseline depressive symptom

  Centre for Epidemiological Study Scale (0-60), with a higher score indicating a more severe depressive symptom

  baseline - before the intervention

• Post-intervention depressive symptom

  Centre for Epidemiological Study Scale (0-60), with a higher score indicating a more severe depressive symptom

  within 2 weeks after the intervention

Secondary Outcomes (14)

• Baseline knowledge of dementia

  baseline - before the intervention

• Post intervention knowledge of dementia

  within 2 weeks after the intervention

• Baseline caregiving self-efficacy

  baseline - before the intervention

• Post intervention caregiving self-efficacy

  within 2 weeks after the intervention

• Baseline coping strategy

  baseline - before the intervention

Study Arms (2)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

To use the mobile app developed by the study team for one month. The app has a few key features including a positive reflection journal, online peer support, knowledge sharing, self-assessment, and locally available resources. Participants in the intervention group will be required to complete at least two positive reflection journal entries per week, and will be encouraged to use other features of the app during the one month period.

Other: Kampung Care App

Wait list

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in this group will be put on a wait-list for one month before they can use the app.

Interventions

Kampung Care App OTHER

Please refer to the previous session

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• aged 21 or above;
• Singapore citizen or permanent resident;
• primary caregiver who is currently taking care of a PWD;
• scores 4 and above using the 4-item screening version Zarit Burden Interview;
• has sufficient skills in using mobile apps;
• able to read, write, and speak in English

You may not qualify if:

• Caregivers who are pregnant
• caregivers with vision and hearing problems

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Institute of Mental Health, Singapore: lead
• National Healthcare Group, Singapore: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Clinic B, Institute of Mental Health

Singapore, Singapore, 539747, Singapore

Location

Related Publications (14)

• Bedard M, Molloy DW, Squire L, Dubois S, Lever JA, O'Donnell M. The Zarit Burden Interview: a new short version and screening version. Gerontologist. 2001 Oct;41(5):652-7. doi: 10.1093/geront/41.5.652.

  PMID: 11574710 BACKGROUND

• Brown EL, Ruggiano N, Page TF, Roberts L, Hristidis V, Whiteman KL, Castro J. CareHeroes Web and Android Apps for Dementia Caregivers: A Feasibility Study. Res Gerontol Nurs. 2016 Jul-Aug;9(4):193-203. doi: 10.3928/19404921-20160229-02. Epub 2016 Mar 4.

  PMID: 29977440 BACKGROUND

• Callan JA, Siegle GJ, Abebe K, Black B, Martire L, Schulz R, Reynolds C 3rd, Hall MH. Feasibility of a pocket-PC based cognitive control intervention in dementia spousal caregivers. Aging Ment Health. 2016;20(6):575-82. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2015.1031635. Epub 2015 May 6.

  PMID: 25945597 BACKGROUND

• Fogg, B. J. (2009). A behavior model for persuasive design. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 4th international Conference on Persuasive Technology.

  BACKGROUND

• Lorca-Cabrera J, Grau C, Marti-Arques R, Raigal-Aran L, Falco-Pegueroles A, Albacar-Rioboo N. Effectiveness of health web-based and mobile app-based interventions designed to improve informal caregiver's well-being and quality of life: A systematic review. Int J Med Inform. 2020 Feb;134:104003. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2019.104003. Epub 2019 Nov 23.

  PMID: 31790857 BACKGROUND

• McCurdie T, Taneva S, Casselman M, Yeung M, McDaniel C, Ho W, Cafazzo J. mHealth consumer apps: the case for user-centered design. Biomed Instrum Technol. 2012 Fall;Suppl:49-56. doi: 10.2345/0899-8205-46.s2.49. No abstract available.

  PMID: 23039777 BACKGROUND

• Rathnayake S, Moyle W, Jones C, Calleja P. mHealth applications as an educational and supportive resource for family carers of people with dementia: An integrative review. Dementia (London). 2019 Oct-Nov;18(7-8):3091-3112. doi: 10.1177/1471301218768903. Epub 2018 Apr 9. No abstract available.

  PMID: 29631492 BACKGROUND

• Reyes, A. K., Camargo, J. E., & Díaz, G. M. (2015). Design of a mobile application to support non-pharmacological therapies for people with Alzheimer disease. Paper presented at the International Conference on Smart Health.

  BACKGROUND

• Sallim AB, Sayampanathan AA, Cuttilan A, Ho R. Prevalence of Mental Health Disorders Among Caregivers of Patients With Alzheimer Disease. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2015 Dec;16(12):1034-41. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2015.09.007.

  PMID: 26593303 BACKGROUND

• Sikder AT, Yang FC, Schafer R, Dowling GA, Traeger L, Jain FA. Mentalizing Imagery Therapy Mobile App to Enhance the Mood of Family Dementia Caregivers: Feasibility and Limited Efficacy Testing. JMIR Aging. 2019 Mar 21;2(1):e12850. doi: 10.2196/12850.

  PMID: 31518275 BACKGROUND

• Subramaniam M, Chong SA, Vaingankar JA, Abdin E, Chua BY, Chua HC, Eng GK, Heng D, Hia SB, Huang W, Jeyagurunathana A, Kua J, Lee SP, Mahendran R, Magadi H, Malladi S, McCrone P, Pang S, Picco L, Sagayadevan V, Sambasivam R, Seng KH, Seow E, Shafie S, Shahwan S, Tan LL, Yap M, Zhang Y, Ng LL, Prince M. Prevalence of Dementia in People Aged 60 Years and Above: Results from the WiSE Study. J Alzheimers Dis. 2015;45(4):1127-38. doi: 10.3233/JAD-142769.

  PMID: 25672767 BACKGROUND

• Yuan Q, Wang P, Tan TH, Devi F, Poremski D, Magadi H, Goveas R, Ng LL, Chong SA, Subramaniam M. Coping Patterns Among Primary Informal Dementia Caregivers in Singapore and Its Impact on Caregivers-Implications of a Latent Class Analysis. Gerontologist. 2021 Jul 13;61(5):680-692. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnaa080.

  PMID: 32592582 BACKGROUND

• Yuan Q, Lee YT, Samari E, Zhang Y, Goveas R, Ng LL, Subramaniam M. Evaluating the feasibility and potential effectiveness of a mobile-based intervention to promote the mental health of informal caregivers of persons with dementia in Singapore: Results from a mixed-methods two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial. J Affect Disord. 2026 Apr 15;399:121059. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.121059. Epub 2025 Dec 29.

  PMID: 41475574 DERIVED

• Lee YT, Yuan Q, Zhang Y, Samari E, Goveas R, Ng LL, Subramaniam M. Evaluating a mobile-based intervention to promote the mental health of informal dementia caregivers in Singapore: Study protocol for a pilot two-armed randomised controlled trial. PLoS One. 2024 Jun 24;19(6):e0305729. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305729. eCollection 2024.

  PMID: 38913625 DERIVED

Related Links

• World Alzheimer Report 2015, The Global Impact of Dementia: An Analysis of Prevalence, Incidence, Cost and Trends
• ANNUAL SURVEY ON INFOCOMM USAGE IN HOUSEHOLDS AND BY INDIVIDUALS FOR 2017

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Caregiver Burden; Dementia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Stress, Psychological; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Qi Yuan, PhD

  Research Division, Institute of Mental Health

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Senior Research Fellow

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 16, 2022
• First Posted: September 22, 2022
• Study Start: December 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: March 1, 2024
• Study Completion: June 1, 2024
• Last Updated: January 7, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SG (1)