Preliminary Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Self-administered Acupressure for Symptom Management among Caregivers with Caregiver Stress.

Abstract

Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate the effects of a self‐administered acupressure intervention on caregiver stress and related symptoms among caregivers of elderly family members. Methods: This is a randomized, wait‐list controlled trial conducted from July 2016 to December 2018. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to either an 8‐week self‐administered acupressure intervention or a wait‐list control group. The primary outcome is caregiver stress (Caregiver Burden Inventory). Secondary outcomes include depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire), fatigue (Piper Fatigue Scale), sleep disturbance (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and health‐related quality of life (SF‐12 Health Survey). Results: A total of 207 caregivers with caregiver stress were recruited, of which 6 participants (2.9%) withdrew from the study. Preliminary analysis was conducted among the participants who have completed the study. At post‐intervention, as compared to the wait‐list control group, the caregivers in the intervention group had a significantly lower level of caregiver stress (24.49 [SD = 20.12] vs 32.35 [SD = 16.30], p = 0.003), depressive symptoms (6.08 [SD = 5.60] vs 7.83 [5.60], p = 0.03), fatigue (1.45 [SD = 2.36] vs 2.31 [SD = 3.07], p = 0.03), sleep disturbance (7.07 [SD = 3.90] vs 8.26 [SD = 3.68], p = 0.03), and a higher level of physical component of health‐related quality of life (45.67 [SD = 9.85] vs 42.71 [SD = 10.45], p = 0.04). Conclusion: Our preliminary findings support our hypothesis that self‐administered acupressure can improve the caregiver stress and other associated symptoms in caregivers. Intention‐to‐treat analysis will be performed to conclude the findings.