This is a Mentored Patient-Oriented Career Development (K23) Award application. The candidate is a Junior Faculty Scholar in the Mental Health Intervention Research Center for Late-Life Mood Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh who proposes to develop skills necessary for geriatric mental health prevention research. Despite the health care policy issues that serve as the impetus for dementia caregiving research, psychosocial interventions evaluated to date have only been moderately effective at improving mental health outcomes in family caregivers. Given that the majority of dementia caregivers report high initial burden levels and spouses are typical caregivers, the field of dementia caregiver research may benefit from interventions designed to prevent the development of psychiatric morbidity among spousal caregiving samples that are just entering the caregiving role and not yet reporting high burden levels. Persons with a consensus diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have an estimated 12 percent annual probability of progressing to dementing disorders and preliminary data suggest that their spouses are beginning to adopt the caregiver role and its burdens as they cope with this condition. Because they are in the earliest stages of caregiving, the timing may be ideal for implementing selective preventive strategies with spouses of persons with MCI in order to protect the mental health and well-being of these caregivers as they cope with their spouses' current and future health care needs. To perform such research, I will undertake training in the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of interventional research utilizing Problem Solving Therapy (PST) with older adults, as well as the statistical and conceptual methods of epidemiology that are used to understand psychosocial risk and protective factors in the prevention of psychiatric morbidity. The proposed research consists of a longitudinal community-based psychoeducational intervention (based on PST) with spouses of persons with MCI. ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
Project #
5K23MH070719-02
Application #
7067679
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-RPHB-B (06))
Program Officer
Chavez, Mark
Project Start
2005-05-18
Project End
2010-04-30
Budget Start
2006-05-01
Budget End
2007-04-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$122,986
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Type
Schools of Nursing
DUNS #
004514360
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Garand, Linda; Rinaldo, Donna E; Alberth, Mary M et al. (2014) Effects of problem solving therapy on mental health outcomes in family caregivers of persons with a new diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 22:771-81
Fowler, Nicole R; Hansen, Alexandra S; Barnato, Amber E et al. (2013) Association between anticipatory grief and problem solving among family caregivers of persons with cognitive impairment. J Aging Health 25:493-509
Garand, Linda; Lingler, Jennifer H; Deardorf, Kaitlyn E et al. (2012) Anticipatory grief in new family caregivers of persons with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 26:159-65
Garand, Linda; Dew, Mary Amanda; Lingler, Jennifer H et al. (2011) Incidence and predictors of advance care planning among persons with cognitive impairment. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 19:712-20
Garand, Linda; Matthews, Judith T; Courtney, Karen L et al. (2010) Development and use of a tool to guide junior faculty in their progression toward promotion and tenure. J Prof Nurs 26:207-13
Garand, Linda; Lingler, Jennifer H; Conner, Kyaien O et al. (2009) Diagnostic labels, stigma, and participation in research related to dementia and mild cognitive impairment. Res Gerontol Nurs 2:112-21
Lingler, Jennifer Hagerty; Hirschman, Karen B; Garand, Linda et al. (2008) Frequency and correlates of advance planning among cognitively impaired older adults. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 16:643-9
Garand, Linda; Dew, Mary Amanda; Urda, Bridget et al. (2007) Marital quality in the context of mild cognitive impairment. West J Nurs Res 29:976-92
Mitchell, Ann M; Wesner, Sue; Garand, Linda et al. (2007) A support group intervention for children bereaved by parental suicide. J Child Adolesc Psychiatr Nurs 20:3-13
Herr, Keela; Spratt, Kevin F; Garand, Linda et al. (2007) Evaluation of the Iowa pain thermometer and other selected pain intensity scales in younger and older adult cohorts using controlled clinical pain: a preliminary study. Pain Med 8:585-600