ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of Coping with Caregiving (CWC) psychoeducational program for Chinese family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease in Hong Kong. METHOD: Twenty-seven female primary caregivers were randomized to join the treatment group or wait-list control group. The caregivers in the treatment group participated in 13 weekly training sessions which taught specific cognitive-behavioral strategies to handle caregiving stress. RESULTS: As compared to the wait-list control group, caregivers completing the CWC program demonstrated a significant increase in their self-efficacy for controlling their upsetting thoughts and handling disruptive behaviors of the care recipients. They also reported a significant increase in the use of both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that cognitive-behavioral programs can be effective in improving the resourcefulness of Chinese caregivers of persons with dementia in Hong Kong. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Future CWC programs will have to enhance participants' ability to differentiate among various coping skills and to use situation-appropriate strategies.
