Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25679228›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2015

Effectiveness of an Internet intervention for family caregivers of people with dementia: results of a randomized controlled trial.

Marco M Blom, Steven H Zarit, Rob B M Groot Zwaaftink, Pim Cuijpers, Anne Margriet Pot

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 88 papers, 17 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
88citing papers in PubMed, 17 pooled it
25.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

88 citing papers in PubMed, 17 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 224 citations in OpenAlex.

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28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 4 countries.

Marco M BlomDutch Alzheimer's Society, Department Scientific Research, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
Steven H ZaritThe Pennsylvania State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America; Gerontology Institute, University College of Health Science, Jönköping, Sweden.
Rob B M Groot ZwaaftinkDutch Alzheimer's Society, Department Scientific Research, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
Pim CuijpersVU University, Department of Clinical Psychology, EMGO+, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Anne Margriet PotVU University, Department of Clinical Psychology, EMGO+, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction (Trimbos-institute), Program on Aging, Utrecht, The Netherlands; University of Queensland, School of Psychology, Brisbane, Australia.
Alzheimer Nederland · NLEMGO Institute for Health and Care Research · NLJönköping University · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe World Health Organization stresses the importance of accessible and (cost)effective caregiver support, given the expected increase in the number of people with dementia and the detrimental impact on the mental health of family caregivers.

methodsThis study assessed the effectiveness of the Internet intervention 'Mastery over Dementia'. In a RCT, 251 caregivers, of whom six were lost at baseline, were randomly assigned to two groups. Caregivers in the experimental group (N = 149) were compared to caregivers who received a minimal intervention consisting of e-bulletins (N = 96). Outcomes were symptoms of depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale: CES-D) and anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: HADS-A). All data were collected via the Internet, and an intention-to-treat analysis was carried out.

resultsAlmost all caregivers were spouses or children (in-law). They were predominantly female and lived with the care recipient in the same household. Age of the caregivers varied from 26 to 87 years. Level of education varied from primary school to university, with almost half of them holding a bachelor's degree or higher. Regression analyses showed that caregivers in the experimental group showed significantly lower symptoms of depression (p = .034) and anxiety (p = .007) post intervention after adjustment for baseline differences in the primary outcome scores and the functional status of the patients with dementia. Effect sizes were moderate for symptoms of anxiety (.48) and small for depressive symptoms (.26).

conclusionsThe Internet course 'Mastery over Dementia' offers an effective treatment for family caregivers of people with dementia reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. The results of this study justify further development of Internet interventions for family caregivers of people with dementia and suggest that such interventions are promising for keeping support for family caregivers accessible and affordable. The findings are even more promising because future generations of family caregivers will be more familiar with the Internet.

trial registrationDutch Trial Register NTR-2051 www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=2051.

Indexed as

DementiaInternetAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAnxietyCaregiversDepressionFamilyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle Aged

Identifiers

PMID25679228
PMCPMC4334515
OpenAlexW2008664666

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.