Comparison of on Site versus Online Psycho Education Groups and Reducing Caregiver Burden.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this project was to comparatively assess the benefit from the effects of the online versus onsite psychoeducative interventions on caregivers' emotional burden, including their sense of burden, anxiety, and depression.

METHODS

Seventy-one caregivers of Patients with Dementia (PwD) were divided in two groups, the online versus the onsite, and participated in the 4-month psychoeducational group intervention. Psychosocial assessment was performed using Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory and Zarit Burden Interview before and after the intervention.

RESULTS

No significant differences were found between the online and onsite groups in anxiety ( = .531), depression ( = .577) and sense of burden ( = .623) after the interventions. Both interventions showed significant reductions across emotional variables measured over the course of the treatment study and treatment interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

Both online and onsite interventions are effective at improving emotional health as they reduce the level of anxiety, depression, and sense of caregiver burden.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

The use of online psychoeducative interventions is indicative for use by clinicians who work with dementia caregivers as compared to the onsite ones. Therefore, they may be assumed as having significant utility in dementia caregivers, especially when being adapted during the recent confinement measures due to the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19).