Caregiver Stress and Sleep Study

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH · Jan 21, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The Caregiver Stress and Sleep Study is researching how certain therapies can help caregivers who are experiencing stress and depressive symptoms while caring for someone with dementia. In this study, therapists will provide either an experimental treatment aimed at improving mental well-being or a supportive control treatment. The goal is to understand how these approaches affect important health factors, such as morning energy levels, feelings of sadness, and thinking patterns related to depression.

To participate in this study, you need to be at least 60 years old, provide unpaid care to someone living with dementia, and experience stress in your caregiving role. You should not be currently taking medication for depression or undergoing active therapy for mood issues. Participants will go through evaluations, including brain scans, to track changes in their health throughout the study. If you’re interested and meet the criteria, this could be a valuable opportunity to address caregiver stress and improve your overall well-being.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age 60 years or older.
• • Provide at least 15 hours/week of unpaid care to a patient with a dementia diagnosis.
• • Reporting stress or strain delivering care
• • No or stable pharmacotherapy for depression
• • Meets screening definition for having morning activation difficulty or a definite morning types per the Composite Morningness Questionnaire (CMQ)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Unsafe or unable to undergo MRI
• • Active Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for mood or insomnia
• • Probable dementia diagnosis
• • Deadly illness or plans to leave the study area
• • Current active substance use disorder