A STUDY PROTOCOL OF A PILOT RCT OF AN ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF PALLIATIVE CARE PATIENTS

Abstract

Caregivers of palliative care patients often experience high burden levels. Caregiving burden may impair quality of life and induce psychological distress. These caregivers often experience emotional feeling and thoughts that are hard to change, and trying to alter, or control may increase caregiver distress. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a potential solution as it helps individuals creating a life worth living by boosting psychological flexibility. The study aims to assess the preliminary efficacy of an ACT-based caregiver supporting programme (ACT-CSP) for caregivers of palliative care patients. This is a pilot 2-arm parallel group randomized controlled trial with follow-ups at Week 6 and Week 8 after recruitment. Thirty caregivers of palliative care patients at palliative care outpatient ward of two hospitals will be recruited, and randomized to either the ACT-CSP with two 45- to 60-min sessions in an individual online format or usual care arm. The primary outcome is caregiver burden. Secondary outcomes are depression/anxiety, caregiving self-efficacy, resilience, quality of life and psychological flexibility. Outcomes of the two groups will be compared generalized estimating equations. This study will provide information for designing a full-scale trial to shed light in developing clinical guideline in supporting caregivers of palliative care patients