Instant Message-delivered Early Psychological Intervention in Stroke Family Caregivers

Psychological distress including depression and anxiety is a major component of caregiver stress, and its negative impact on caregivers' health and well-being has been established in the literature. A recent meta-analysis reported the prevalence of depression and anxiety in stroke caregivers as 40.2% and 21.4% respectively. An evidence profile report by the World Health Organization(WHO) has emphasised that psychological support is crucial in helping caregivers in the community to continue caring for individuals with long-term disabilities, such as stroke patients. Therefore, early psychological intervention (EPI) is crucial to improve the management and prognosis of an individual who are facing stressful events like caregiving. The main aim of this study is to prevent or alleviate the significant psychological consequences in carers resulting from stroke events in family members. Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioural therapy (iCBT) is delivered as an ecological momentary intervention (EMI) to support the clients to engage in cognitive reframing and empower them with proper knowledge, skills and attitudes to make behavioural changes.

NCT Number	NCT05907005
Lead Sponsor	The University of Hong Kong
Conditions	Stroke, Caregiver Burden, Mobile Phone Use
Enrollment	152 participants
Start Date	2023-07-24
Primary Completion	2025-07-24 (estimated)
Study Completion	2025-07-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2024-07-11