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Purpose: This study examines the short-term impact of two theoretically based psychoeducational small group interventions with distressed caregivers, and it also examines the role of specific moderator and mediator variables on caregiver outcomes. Design and Methods: Female participants (N = 169) aged 50 and older who were caring for a community-dwelling relative with a dementing illness were randomly assigned to one of three treatment interventions: anger management, depression management, or a wait-list control group. These interventions took place over a 3- to 4-month period. The primary outcomes examined were anger or hostile mood, depressed mood, frequency of use of positive and negative coping strategies, and perceived caregiving self-efficacy. Results: Significant main effects in the expected direction were found for changes in most of these measures. Participants in both anger management and depression management groups had significant reductions in their levels of anger or hostility and depression from Time 1 to Time 2 in comparison to participants in the wait-list control group. Use of positive cognitive coping strategies increased in the anger management group only. Self-efficacy significantly increased for participants in both intervention groups, and it was also demonstrated to function as a mediator of intervention effects. Pretreatment levels of depressive symptoms and anger expression style (Anger Expression-Out) moderated the relative effects of the two interventions on mood and coping. Implications: These data are consistent with a growing body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of skills training, in small groups, to improve both the affective states and the type of coping strategies used by caregivers. In addition, this study underscores the need to evaluate key pretreatment variables in order to determine which form of treatment may be more compatible with caregiver characteristics and thus more likely to be beneficial to individuals.

Purpose: Few empirical studies have compared the efficacy between psychoeducational (skill-building) approaches for reducing caregivers' psychological distress and interventions modeled after typical community-based support groups. We compare the impact of two distinct interventions on Anglo and Latino caregivers of elderly relatives with dementia. Design and Methods: The change from preassessment to postassessment (baseline to 3 months) for 213 female caregivers (122 Anglo and 91 Latino) is presented. They were seen weekly for 10 weeks in either the Coping With Caregiving psychoeducational program (instruction and practice in small groups to learn specific cognitive and behavioral skills) or in the Enhanced Support Group condition (guided discussion and empathic listening to develop reciprocal support within the group). Both programs were tailored to be sensitive to the cultural concerns of Anglo and Latino caregivers, and they were delivered in either English or Spanish by trained interventionists. Results: Overall, participants in the Coping With Caregiving condition reported a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, increased use of adaptive coping strategies, and a trend toward decreased use of negative coping strategies when compared with those in the Enhanced Support Group condition. Results were similar for both ethnic groups: there were no main effects for ethnicity, and no significant ethnicity by treatment interaction effects. Implications: This study provides empirical support that female caregivers benefit more from a skill-building approach to managing their distress than from support group membership alone. We find it very encouraging that the Latino caregivers responded well on key outcome variables, suggesting that Latinos will participate in clinical research and will benefit from their involvement when services are provided to meet their specific needs.

Purpose: This study examines the short-term impact of two theoretically based psychoeducational small group interventions with distressed caregivers, and it also examines the role of specific moderator and mediator variables on caregiver outcomes. Design and Methods: Female participants (N = 169) aged 50 and older who were caring for a community-dwelling relative with a dementing illness were randomly assigned to one of three treatment interventions: anger management, depression management, or a wait-list control group. These interventions took place over a 3- to 4-month period. The primary outcomes examined were anger or hostile mood, depressed mood, frequency of use of positive and negative coping strategies, and perceived caregiving self-efficacy. Results: Significant main effects in the expected direction were found for changes in most of these measures. Participants in both anger management and depression management groups had significant reductions in their levels of anger or hostility and depression from Time 1 to Time 2 in comparison to participants in the wait-list control group. Use of positive cognitive coping strategies increased in the anger management group only. Self-efficacy significantly increased for participants in both intervention groups, and it was also demonstrated to function as a mediator of intervention effects. Pre-treatment levels of depressive symptoms and anger expression style (Anger Expression-Out) moderated the relative effects of the two interventions on mood and coping. Implications: These data are consistent with a growing body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of skills training, in small... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that compared the change in indices of distress among Latino and Anglo female caregivers of elderly relatives with dementia. Care recipient self-care impairment; Demographic data for caregivers grouped according to treatment condition; Outcomes from the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health initiative national collaborative study.