{rfName}
A

Indexed in

License and use

Citations

7

Altmetrics

Grant support

The authors express their sincere gratitude to all family caregivers who participated in this research, acknowledging their enthusiasm and willingness to share their experiences. We also appreciate the presence of Roos Roberts for their dedication during screening and coaching sessions, which has made valuable contributions to this study. The research presented in this paper received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement 813196 and was carried out within the framework of the Dementia: Intersectorial Strategy for Training and Innovation Network for Current Technology (DISTINCT) Innovative Training Network.

Analysis of institutional authors

Marquez-Gonzalez, MariaAuthor

Share

Publications
>
Article

A Web-Based Intervention Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Family Caregivers of People With Dementia: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study

Publicated to:JMIR AGING. 7 e53489- - 2024-01-01 7(), DOI: 10.2196/53489

Authors: Atefi, Golnaz L; van Knippenberg, Rosalia J M; Bartels, Sara Laureen; Losada-Baltar, Andres; Marquez-Gonzalez, Maria; Verhey, Frans R J; de Vugt, Marjolein E

Affiliations

Maastricht Univ, Alzheimer Ctr Limburg, Dept Psychiat & Neuropsychol, Dr Tanslaan 12, NL-6229 ET Maastricht, Netherlands - Author
Univ Autonoma Madrid, Sch Psychol, Biol & Hlth Psychol Dept, Madrid, Spain - Author
Univ Rey Juan Carlos, Fac Ciencias Salud, Dept Psicol, Madrid, Spain - Author

Abstract

Background: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), as an empirically based third -wave cognitive behavioral therapy, has shown promise in enhancing well-being and functioning across diverse populations. However, in the context of caregiving, the effect size of available ACT interventions remains at best moderate, sometimes accompanied by high dropout rates, highlighting the need for more effective and feasible intervention designs. Objective: The objective of our study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a fully online ACT program designed for family caregivers of people with dementia. This study aimed to boost psychological flexibility and support caregivers, enabling them to realize and prioritize their own life values alongside their caregiving responsibilities. Methods: A mixed methods feasibility study using an uncontrolled pretest -posttest design was conducted. This intervention included a 9 -week web -based self-help program based on ACT incorporating collaborative goal setting and weekly web -based motivational coaching for family caregivers of people with dementia. This study involved 30 informal caregivers recruited through memory clinics and social media platforms in the Netherlands and received approval from the Medical Ethics Committee of the Maastricht University Medical Center+ (NL77389.068.21/metc21-029). Results: A total of 24 caregivers completed the postintervention assessment, indicating a high adherence rate (24/29, 83%). Caregivers reported positive feedback regarding collaborative goal setting, but some found challenges in implementing new skills due to their own habitual responses or the unpredictable context of dementia caregiving. Personalizing the intervention based on individual value preferences was highlighted as beneficial. Conclusions: Compared to other web -based self-help ACT interventions for family caregivers, this intervention showed a high adherence and sufficient level of feasibility, which underscores the use of personalization in delivering web -based interventions. Moreover, the potential of this ACT -based intervention for family caregivers of people with dementia was demonstrated, suggesting that further research and a larger -scale controlled trial are warranted to validate its effectiveness. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2022-070499

Keywords

AcAcceptance and commitment therapyActBehaviorBehavior changeCaregiversDementiDementiaDropoutEhealthFamily caregiversFeasibility studiesGoalsHealthHumansInternet-based interventionMetaanalysisPsychological flexibilityRehabilitationSelf-helpSupported self-helpTheory-guided ehealthWeb-based intervention

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal JMIR AGING due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2024 there are still no calculated indicators, but in 2023, it was in position 8/44, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Medical Informatics.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2025-06-18:

  • Scopus: 7
  • OpenCitations: 1

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-06-18:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 29.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 26 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 1.25.
  • The number of mentions on the social network Facebook: 1 (Altmetric).
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 2 (Altmetric).

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Netherlands.