Atefi Golnaz L, van Knippenberg Rosalie J M, Bartels Sara Laureen, Losada-Baltar Andrés, Márquez-González María, Verhey Frans R J, de Vugt Marjolein E
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology and Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht 6229 ET, Netherlands.
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden.
Cogn Behav Ther. 2025 Mar 27:1-22. doi: 10.1080/16506073.2025.2477600.
With the rising number of dementia cases, supporting family caregivers to maintain their well-being is crucial. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) shows promise in promoting psychological flexibility and positive behaviour change. However, it is still developing in caregiving contexts. This study evaluated the preliminary efficacy of a fully online ACT intervention for caregivers of people with dementia. This study employed a pre-post design with two follow-up assessments at 3 and 6 months. A 9-week web-based self-help ACT program, including individual goal setting prior to the intervention, and minimal contact motivational coaching, was provided to 30 family caregivers in the Netherlands. Linear mixed-effect models based on a complete-case analysis showed significant changes in depressive symptoms (mean difference: -3.34, = -0.78). Significant and sustained improvements were observed in stress (mean difference: -6, = -1.13) and anxiety (mean difference: -5.55, = -1.38), both of which were clinically significant. Sense of competence increased (mean difference: 1.1, = 0.45). ACT-specific measures, including psychological flexibility, engaged living, and inflexibility, also showed significant improvements with medium-to-large effect sizes. This online intervention demonstrated promising preliminary evidence of ACT's potential efficacy on caregivers' well-being, warranting further research in larger-scale controlled trials.
随着痴呆症病例数量的不断增加，支持家庭护理人员保持自身健康至关重要。接纳与承诺疗法（ACT）在促进心理灵活性和积极行为改变方面显示出前景。然而，它在护理环境中仍在发展。本研究评估了一项针对痴呆症患者家庭护理人员的全在线ACT干预的初步疗效。本研究采用前后测设计，并在3个月和6个月时进行两次随访评估。为荷兰的30名家庭护理人员提供了一个为期9周的基于网络的自助ACT项目，包括干预前的个人目标设定以及最少接触的动机辅导。基于完整病例分析的线性混合效应模型显示抑郁症状有显著变化（平均差异：-3.34，t = -0.78）。压力（平均差异：-6，t = -1.13）和焦虑（平均差异：-5.55，t = -1.38）均有显著且持续的改善，两者在临床上都具有显著意义。能力感有所增强（平均差异：1.1，t = 0.45）。ACT特定测量指标，包括心理灵活性、投入生活和僵化程度，也显示出有显著改善，效应大小为中到大型。这项在线干预证明了ACT对护理人员健康潜在疗效的有前景的初步证据，值得在更大规模的对照试验中进一步研究。
