A pilot, quasi-experimental, mixed methods investigation into the efficacy of a group psychotherapy intervention for caregivers of outpatients with XXXX : the COPE study protocol.

@entity5 @entity1 @entity308
INTRODUCTION: Despite the rising trend of @entity5 prevalence and increase in family caregiving, little attention has been paid to the efficacy of psychosocial interventions among Asian caregiver samples, particularly support groups, given the benefits that have been shown in studies on Western populations. This trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot 4-week group psychotherapy for Singaporean family caregivers of @entity1 receiving outpatient care. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Facilitated by a clinical psychologist, this intervention is primarily based on the brief integrative psychological therapy with a supportive-expressive intent. @entity1 will be recruited while they are accompanying their care recipients for outpatient consultations. Since this is a pilot study, a sample size of 120 @entity1 is targeted on the basis of sample sizes of previous studies. The study adopts a quasi-experimental design, as @entity1 are assigned the intervention or control arms based on their availability to attend the intervention. A mixed methods approach is used to evaluate the outcomes of the intervention. A self-administered battery of tests is completed at four time points: baseline, postintervention and follow-up at 1-month and 2-month postinterventions; semi-structured interviews are conducted at baseline and post-intervention. Primary outcomes are quality of life and @entity308 ; secondary outcomes are stress and basic psychological needs. Analysis using analysis of covariance would be conducted to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study protocol has ethics approval from the National Healthcare Group Domain Specific Review Board (NHG DSRB Ref: 2013/00662). Written informed consent is obtained from every @entity1 . Results will be disseminated through journals and conferences, and will be particularly relevant for clinicians intending to implement similar support groups to address the psychosocial concerns of caregivers, as well as for researchers seeking to refine the structure and evaluate the effectiveness of such programmes. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Current Controlled Trials NCT02120183 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02120183).
