Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38372125›Full record

ArticleClinical gerontologist

Evaluation of a Photo Captioning Cognitive Empathy Intervention for Dementia Caregivers.

James K Rilling, Minwoo Lee, Julie McIsaac, Sophie Factor, Paige Gallagher, Joseph H Kim, Jiajin Zhang, Carolyn Zhou, Thomas W McDade, Kenneth Hepburn and 1 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical gerontologist. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 23% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. "One More Picture:" A Mixed-Methods Examination of Caption Content in a Photo Captioning Cognitive Empathy Intervention for Dementia-Caregivers.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Caregiving is associated with lower brain age in humans.Social cognitive and affective neuroscience · 2025
    Article
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

11 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

James K RillingDepartment of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Minwoo LeeDepartment of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Julie McIsaacAnchor Psychological Services, Ottawa, USA.
Sophie FactorDepartment of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Paige GallagherDepartment of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Joseph H KimDepartment of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Jiajin ZhangDepartment of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Carolyn ZhouDepartment of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Thomas W McDadeDepartment of Anthropology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University.
Kenneth HepburnNell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University.
Molly M PerkinsDepartment of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, and Birmingham/Atlanta VA Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center.
Emory University · US

Funding

The Emory Alzheimer's Disease CenterP50AG025688 · NIA · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI LEVEY, ALLAN I · 2005 to 2019
$25.7M
Roybal Translational Research Center to Promote Context-Specific Caregiving of Community-Dwelling Persons Living with Alzheimer's Disease or Related DisordersP30AG064200 · NIA · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI Fayron Recha Epps · 2019 to 2026
$8.6M
NIA NIH HHS P30 AG064200NIA NIH HHS P50 AG025688
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe goal of this study was to develop and evaluate an intervention aimed at increasing cognitive empathy, improving mental health, and reducing inflammation in dementia caregivers, and to examine the relevant neural and psychological mechanisms.

methodsTwenty dementia caregivers completed an intervention that involved taking 3-5 daily photographs of their person living with dementia (PLWD) over a period of 10 days and captioning those photos with descriptive text capturing the inner voice of the PLWD. Both before and after the intervention, participants completed questionnaires, provided a blood sample for measures of inflammation, and completed a neuroimaging session to measure their neural response to viewing photographs of their PLWD and others.

results87% of enrolled caregivers completed the intervention. Caregivers experienced pre- to post-intervention increases in cognitive empathy (i.e. Perspective-Taking) and decreases in both burden and anxiety. These changes were paralleled by an increased neural response to photographs of their PLWD within brain regions implicated in cognitive empathy.

conclusionThese findings warrant a larger replication study that includes a control condition and follows participants to establish the duration of the intervention effects. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Cognitive empathy interventions may improve caregiver mental health and are worthy of further investigation.

Indexed as

CaregiversDementiaEmpathyPhotographyAgedAged, 80 and overAnxietyCognitionCognitive Behavioral TherapyFemaleHumansMaleMental HealthMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesAnxietyburdenfMRIinflammation

Identifiers

PMID38372125
PMCPMC11331024
OpenAlexW4391931698

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
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.