EFFECTIVENESS OF A WEB-BASED INTERVENTION FOR LEWY BODY DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS: IMPACT BY DEPRESSION STATUS
2024

Web-Based Support for Lewy Body Dementia Caregivers

Sample size: 39 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Su Yan, Chen Annie T, Zaslavsky Oleg

Primary Institution: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Hypothesis

Does a web-based intervention improve outcomes for Lewy Body Dementia caregivers, particularly those with depression?

Conclusion

The web-based intervention significantly reduced depressive scores and perceived stress among caregivers with depression.

Supporting Evidence

  • Caregivers with depression showed significant reductions in depressive scores after the intervention.
  • Improvements in self-efficacy and social support were noted for caregivers with depression.
  • Caregivers without depression had no significant improvements except for a modest increase in social support.

Takeaway

This study shows that an online program can help caregivers of people with Lewy Body Dementia feel less sad and stressed, especially if they are already feeling down.

Methodology

An 8-week web-based intervention with online discussions and problem-solving skills for caregivers, with measurements taken at baseline, post-intervention, and one month later.

Participant Demographics

39 caregivers, with 21 classified as having depression and 18 without.

Statistical Information

Confidence Interval

95% CI: −3.36, −0.61

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.3958

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