Evaluating interventions for caregivers
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating outcomes and change processes in cognitive behavioural interventions for caregivers of people with psychosis.
IRAS ID
166679
Contact name
Suzanne Jolley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London, Director of Research Management, Director of ADminbistration (Health Schools)
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 2 months, days
Research summary
Caregivers of people with psychosis rarely receive support from mental health services, yet can present with clinical levels of anxiety and depression. Service users with psychosis who have support from an informal caregiver experience fewer and shorter admissions and improved quality of life. Therefore, intervening with caregivers to reduce distress and improve wellbeing should also promote recovery for service users. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline for the treatment of psychosis in adults (2014) recommends that carers of people with psychosis are offered a carer-focused intervention.
The aims of this study are twofold: 1)to better understand the psychological mechanisms influencing the impact of caregiving upon caregivers and their relationships with the person they are caring for, in order to better target interventions; and 2)to evaluate the impact upon caregivers of carer interventions offered in routine services, and the processes by which change occurs.Both group and individual interventions are routinely offered in the target site, including psychoeducation, problem solving, and coping strategies, as well as emotional processing and management work to reduce feelings of guilt, loss, fear and blame in relation to the caregiving role.
Caregivers already complete measures of their wellbeing, coping, and perceptions of caregiving at entry to and exit from the service, with bespoke and sessional measures of progress. They will be asked for their consent to use these for research purposes, and to complete the same measures again before and after each intervention, with an additional research interview measure. A naturalistic extended baseline design will be used, making use of the service's waiting period for each intervention (usually 2-3 months).
REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0680
Date of REC Opinion
6 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion