The Influence of Readiness to Change on the Effects of an Intervention for Dementia Caregivers
Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: Caring for a loved one with dementia has been linked to a host of negative mental and physical health problems.Many caregiver interventions have been developed to alleviate the negative effects of caregiving.There is little evidence, however, for the overall effectiveness of these interventions in improving outcomes.Furthermore, little information exists regarding reasons that caregivers benefit from existing interventions.Exploring characteristics, such as readiness to change, that might influence caregivers' investment in an intervention can yield valuable information about how best to modify interventions to improve their effectiveness.The impact of readiness to change on caregiver outcomes following a six-session intervention was examined in the current study.Stage of change among caregivers (N = 74) was reliably measured using a newly designed self-report instrument.As hypothesized, the intervention was effective in improving caregivers' self-efficacy; however, undergoing the intervention did not improve ratings of distress at care recipients' behavior problems or subjective physical health ratings.Readiness to change showed no impact on outcomes among caregivers, although results did indicate a shift in stage of change between the two assessment points.Results generally support the existence of the readiness to change construct but call into
Author: Sarah J. Yarry
Institution: Case Western Reserve University
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2197030160