Early Nursing-Home Psychoeducation for Family Caregivers: Feasibility and Preliminary Changes in Anxiety, Depression, and Coping.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the feasibility of an on-site psychoeducational program for family caregivers after nursing-home admission and to describe short-term pre-post changes in anxiety, depression, and coping.

METHODS

In a single-arm pre-post implementation study across 70 nursing homes in the Paris area, 138 caregivers attended seven weekly 2-hour workshops led by a geriatrician, psychologists, and an advanced practice nurse. Outcomes at baseline and one week after the last session were Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A/HADS-D) scores and the 38-item Caregiver Assessment of Managing Index (CAMI). Feasibility indicators were program reach, post-enrollment retention, and fidelity.

RESULTS

Of 147 volunteers screened, 138 were enrolled and completed both assessments, with no post-enrollment drop-out. The program reached 70 nursing homes; random audio monitoring of 10% of workshops showed at least 85% adherence to manualised content. Anxiety decreased from 8.7 to 7.9 (p = .001) and depression from 5.2 to 4.6 (p = .012). After multiplicity control, two CAMI items changed, whereas category means and coping diversity remained stable.

CONCLUSIONS

The program appeared feasible and was associated with small short-term reductions in caregiver distress without broad coping reconfiguration.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Brief transition-focused programs may be scalable in routine nursing-home practice.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05651555.