Approximately one out of five children in the U.S. has mental health problems, and mothers are usually their primary caregivers. Being a primary caregiver of a child with mental health problems is associated with high levels of perceived burden and depressive symptoms. Although depressive symptoms are common in these caregivers, they frequently go unrecognized and unaddressed in the clinical setting. These caregivers are extremely challenged to get their children's and their own needs met. Intervention programs addressing burden and depressive symptoms in primary caregivers of these children have been very limited. Clinically tested interventions are needed to guide development of such programs. To address this gap, our research team developed the Building Our Solutions and Connections (BOSC) intervention, which is a problem-solving intervention adapted from the Improving Mood-Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment Program. The BOSC intervention consists of one brief face-to-face training session and 8 weekly follow-up telephone interventions. Problem-solving interventions, most delivered by telephone, have significantly reduced depressive symptoms in family caregivers in other populations. The BOSC intervention, based upon a stress and coping framework, teaches the problem-solving process, which should increase primary caregivers'perceived personal control and problem-solving skills. This, in turn, should decrease their perceived burden and depressive symptoms. We propose a randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability and to estimate effect sizes of the BOSC intervention. Using a blinded, experimental design, 66 primary caregivers will be randomly assigned to either the BOSC intervention group or a wait list control (WLC) group. They will also be stratified by child behavior problems and caregiver depression. Members of the WLC group will begin the BOSC intervention 3 months after the last telephone intervention of the first group. Data will be collected at baseline, immediately after the last telephone call for the BOSC and WLC groups, and 3 months after the last call for the BOSC and WLC groups. For each of the outcomes, data will be analyzed using repeated measures regression modeling procedures. Caring for a child with mental health problems can be very difficult as evidenced by high levels of burden and depressive symptoms among these caregivers. The proposed research is significant because it will provide preliminary data about a problem-solving intervention for primary caregivers of children with mental health problems. BOSC is designed to increase perceived personal control and improve problem-solving attitudes and skills and to decrease perceived burden and depressive symptoms.
The proposed research is relevant to public health because it will provide preliminary data about the efficacy and feasibility of a problem-solving intervention to decrease caregivers'depression and burden (stress). By improving these caregivers'wellbeing, they will be better able to take care of both themselves and their child with mental health problems, thereby being more able to be productive members of society.
| Gerkensmeyer, Janis E; Johnson, Cynthia S; Scott, Eric L et al. (2013) Problem-solving intervention for caregivers of children with mental health problems. Arch Psychiatr Nurs 27:112-20 |
| Oruche, Ukamaka M; Gerkensmeyer, Janis E; Austin, Joan K et al. (2012) Recruitment strategies for caregivers of children with mental health problems. Clin Nurse Spec 26:216-21 |
| Gerkensmeyer, Janis E; Perkins, Susan M; Day, Jennifer et al. (2011) Maternal Depressive Symptoms When Caring for a Child with Mental Health Problems. J Child Fam Stud 20:685-695 |
