A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Schema-based and Caregiver-centered Mindfulness Methods on Psychological Distress and Burden in Caregivers of Patients with Dementia
Neda Ramezani, Ilnaz Sajjadian
Journal of Health and Care September 1, 2023 DOI: 10.61186/jhc.25.2.146 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test follow-up study with control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | Caregivers of patients with dementia visiting neurology clinics in Isfahan |
| Intervention | caregiver-centered mindfulness |
| Duration | Eight 90-minute sessions; follow-up phase |
| Measures | DASS psychological distress questionnaire, Zarit burden questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Both schema-based therapy and caregiver-centered mindfulness reduced psychological distress and caregiving burden compared with a control group at post-test and follow-up. The two treatment methods did not differ significantly from each other, leading the authors to conclude that either can be used to reduce distress and burden in dementia caregivers. |
Abstract
Background & aim:The stressful and chronic process of caring for patients with dementia is a long process that imposes too much care burden.Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of schema-based and caregivercentered mindfulness methods on psychological distress and burden in caregivers of patients with dementia.Methods: This semi-experimental research was conducted with a pre-test-post-test and follow-up design with a control group.The study population was the caregivers of patients with dementia who visited the neurology clinics of Kashani and Khurshid hospitals in Isfahan during the summer of 1401.Among these caregivers, 45 people were selected through convenient sampling while considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria.They were randomly divided into two experimental groups and a control group (15 people in each group).The two experimental groups completed eight 90-minute sessions of schema-based and caregiver-based mindfulness therapy separately.The data collection tools were DASS psychological distress and Zarit burden questionnaires.The data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance by SPSS-23 software.Results: The results showed that the mean scores of the psychological distress and burden were significantly different in the two groups of schema-based and caregiver-centered mindfulness and the control group in both the post-test and follow-up phases (p<0.05).However, in the comparison of the two treatment methods, the results indicated that the mean scores of the study variables in the post-test and follow-up phase in the two intervention groups did not show any significant difference. Conclusion:The results showed that due to the lack of significant difference between the two treatment methods, schema-based and caregiver-centered mindfulness methods can be used to reduce psychological distress and burden in caregivers of patients with dementia.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |