INFORMAL SOCIAL SUPPORT IN CAREGIVERS OF PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF EFFECTIVENESS OF INFORMAL SOCIAL SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS AND A TRIAL INTERVENTION
Date
2025-05-02
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0000-0002-7442-3757
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Doctoral
Abstract
This dissertation includes two studies. The first examines and synthesizes the data from extant studies on informal social support interventions targeted towards individuals, and the second uses these findings to inform the implementation of an social support pilot intervention for rural caregivers of persons with dementia.
The first study is a systematic review of the effectiveness of informal social support interventions targeted towards individuals from any population. A systematic search of five databases resulted in over 30,000 records which were screened by title and abstract, resulting in over 300 full-text reviews, and the subsequent inclusion of 11 studies. A narrative review revealed that the most successful social support interventions are actively facilitated, have strong theoretical foundations, have a high frequency of dose, and are administered over a long period of time (e.g., four-weeks-or-more). The review suggested multi-component interventions are helpful and for Study 2, I focussed on one component, an adaptation of interpersonal psychotherapy that targets the functional (interpersonal) domain.
Study 2 involved trialing interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) with caregivers, which, to my knowledge, has never been done before. I utilized a nonconcurrent multiple baseline single-case experimental design with three participants and found evidence of acceptability and feasibility, thus laying the groundwork for more comprehensive future trials. Nascent evidence of improvement in levels of depression, anxiety, and burden was also observed. Overall, this research contributes to a very limited body of knowledge surrounding social support interventions for caregivers and furthers our understating of appropriate approaches to enhance their interpersonal relationships.
Description
Keywords
Dementia, Caregiver, Social Support
Citation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
Psychology
Program
Clinical