Comparing Structured Retrieval Practice and Reading-Based Education for Dementia Caregivers

NCT07413406 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: ARDRAF-2025-ARIEL
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 65
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Caring for a person living with dementia can be stressful, and many family caregivers report limited access to effective educational resources for managing dementia-related behaviors and caregiver stress. This study will evaluate a learning-based educational intervention called structured retrieval practice (SRP), which is designed to improve long-term learning by encouraging repeated recall of information with feedback. Informal dementia caregivers will be randomly assigned to learn caregiving and self-care strategies using either SRP or a traditional reading-based educational approach. Participants will be assessed on their knowledge, confidence in caregiving skills, stress levels, and perceptions of dementia-related behavioral symptoms over multiple follow-up periods. The study will also examine whether the SRP intervention is feasible and acceptable for caregivers in real-world settings.

Conditions

Dementia; Alzheimer Disease; Caregiver Stress

Keywords

Dementia caregivers; Informal caregivers; Family caregiving; Structured retrieval practice; Retrieval Practice; Testing Effect; Caregiver Education; Caregiver Stress; Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia; Caregiver self-efficacy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Caregiver Knowledge Retention

  Caregiver knowledge retention will be assessed using a researcher-developed multiple-choice assessment designed to measure factual and applied knowledge related to dementia symptom management and caregiver stress management. The assessment will consist of 64 items written at or below an 8th-grade reading level and tailored to each participant's selected learning content. Scores will reflect the total number of items answered correctly, with higher scores indicating greater knowledge retention.

  Baseline; 2 days post-intervention; 2 weeks post-intervention; 2 months post-intervention

• Caregiver Self-Efficacy

  Caregiver self-efficacy will be measured using the Revised Scale for Caregiving Self-Efficacy (RSCSE). The RSCSE is a validated self-report instrument assessing caregivers' confidence in managing stress, responding to disruptive behaviors, and controlling upsetting thoughts. The measure includes three subscales, each consisting of five items rated on a 0% to 100% confidence scale. Subscale scores will be summed to create composite indices, with higher scores indicating greater caregiving self-efficacy.

  Baseline; 2 days post-intervention; 2 weeks post-intervention; 2 months post-intervention

• Caregiver Perceived Stress

  Caregiver perceived stress will be assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), a widely used self-report measure of perceived stress. Participants rate items on a 5-point Likert scale based on the frequency of stress-related experiences in the past month. Total scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress.

  Baseline; 2 days post-intervention; 2 weeks post-intervention; 2 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Caregiver-Reported Dementia-Related Behavioral Symptoms

  Baseline; 2 days post-intervention; 2 weeks post-intervention; 2 months post-intervention

• Intervention Acceptability and Satisfaction

  Immediately after completion of the intervention session.

• Intervention Adherence

  During intervention period

Study Arms (2)

Structured Retrieval Practice (SRP)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to this arm will receive caregiver education delivered using structured retrieval practice (SRP). Educational content will be presented through repeated opportunities to actively recall information over time with corrective feedback. Content will focus on managing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, coping strategies, and caregiver self-care.

Behavioral: Structured Retrieval Practice

Reading-Based Education Control

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants assigned to this arm will receive caregiver education delivered through traditional reading-based materials. Educational content will cover the same topics as the structured retrieval practice arm, including management of dementia-related behavioral symptoms, coping strategies, and caregiver self-care, but without retrieval practice or corrective feedback.

Behavioral: Reading-Based Education

Interventions

Structured Retrieval Practice BEHAVIORAL

The structured retrieval practice intervention is an educational learning approach designed to support durable knowledge retention through repeated active recall of information with corrective feedback. Caregivers will engage in retrieval-based learning activities focused on dementia symptom management, coping strategies, and self-care. Learning activities will be spaced over time, and participants will receive immediate feedback to support learning and retention.

Structured Retrieval Practice (SRP)

Reading-Based Education BEHAVIORAL

The reading-based education control condition consists of caregiver educational materials presented in a traditional reading format. Participants will review written information covering dementia-related behavioral symptoms, coping strategies, and caregiver self-care. Materials will be matched in content to the structured retrieval practice condition but will not include active retrieval or feedback components.

Reading-Based Education Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 50 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adults aged 50 years or older
• Informal (unpaid) caregiver for a family member or friend living with dementia
• Providing ongoing assistance or support to the individual with dementia
• Reports moderate to high perceived stress, defined as a score of 14 or higher on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10)
• Able to speak and read English
• Able to complete study procedures either in person or remotely
• Has access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet access
• Willing and able to provide informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Paid or professional caregivers (e.g., home health aides)
• Caregivers younger than 50 years of age
• Caregivers reporting low perceived stress (PSS-10 score below 14)
• Caregivers providing assistance to an individual without evidence of cognitive - impairment, as determined by a dementia screening interview (AD8 score \< 2)
• Inability to complete study procedures due to cognitive, sensory, or technological limitations
• Failure to meet study screening requirements or provide informed consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Virginia Wesleyan University: lead
• Texas Christian University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Beach, Virginia, 23455, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dementia; Alzheimer Disease; Caregiver Burden; Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Central Study Contacts

Robert Ariel, PhD

CONTACT

757-455-3368; confidentcarestudy@gmail.com

Uma Tauber, Ph.D

CONTACT

memorylab@tcu.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: This is a single-blind study in which outcome assessors and data analysts are blinded to participant condition assignment. Participants are aware of their assigned learning format but are not informed of specific study hypotheses.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two parallel study arms: a structured retrieval practice (SRP) based educational intervention or a reading-based educational control condition. Participants will remain in their assigned condition throughout the study and will complete assessments at baseline, 2 days, 2 weeks, and 2 months following the intervention.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 4, 2026
• First Posted: February 17, 2026
• Study Start: October 3, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Last Updated: February 17, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Time Frame: Data will be available following study completion and publication of primary results.
• Access Criteria: De-identified data will be made publicly available via the Open Science Framework (OSF) with no restrictions on access.

Locations

US (1)