Assessment of the efficacy of a stress management program for informal caregivers of dependent older adults.

PURPOSE The majority of dependent older adults receive care at home from a family member. Caregiving places enormous demands on these caregivers and the negative consequences associated with caregiving are well documented. In this study we compared the effectiveness of two active interventions to a waiting-list control condition to improve emotional well-being in family caregivers. DESIGN AND METHODS We randomized distressed caregivers (N = 91) of physically impaired older adults to one of three conditions: traditional weekly sessions, minimal-therapist-contact sessions, or a waiting-list control group. These manual-guided interventions took place over a 2-month period. RESULTS Caregivers in the traditional weekly sessions experienced the highest reduction in depressive and anxious symptoms. Compared with control participants, caregivers in the traditional weekly sessions had lower posttreatment levels of depression and anxiety. They had also lower levels of depression than did caregivers in the minimal-therapist-contact intervention. IMPLICATIONS These data suggest that traditional weekly sessions may be effective in reducing caregiver anxiety and depression. They further suggest that traditional weekly sessions are better than no intervention, and they are also better than a minimal-therapist-contact intervention.