Telephone group intervention for older stroke caregivers

This study evaluated the effectiveness of telephone groups for older, spousal caregivers of stroke survivors.

The 88 caregivers were mostly white females who were 70 years old on average and who had been providing care for an average of 3 years. Participants were randomized to treatment or control conditions, followed for 6 months, and assessed for depression, burden, loneliness, stress, and competence. Treatment participants engaged in an eight-session psychoeducational telephone group.

Treatment participants showed decreased stress over time but were not significantly different from control participants in the amount of change in stress. Control participants showed a significant increase in burden during the study; treatment participants showed a significant increase in competence.