Efficacy of behavioral interventions for dementia caregivers

Behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, particularly agitation, appear to be a major contributing factor to the emotional distress exhibited by family caregivers. Psychosocial interventions have been shown to reduce caregiver emotional distress, but few studies have examined the efficacy of these interventions with caregivers exposed to high levels of dementia-related behavioral symptoms. The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of a caregiver skill building intervention in reducing emotional distress to agitated behaviors of care recipients. This study analyzed data from a subgroup of caregivers who participated in a larger randomized clinical trial (N = 295). Data from 143 caregivers of family members with baseline agitated behaviors indicate that the skill building intervention was more effective than an information and support oriented comparison condition in reducing emotional distress over an 18-month period. These findings indicate that dementia caregivers exposed to agitated behaviors can benefit from psychosocial interventions, particularly those aimed at building behavioral management skills.