Guilt Focused Intervention for Family Caregivers. Preliminary Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial

Objectives: A pilot randomized controlled trial study was conducted for testing the efficacy of a novel Guilt Focused Intervention (GFI), that was compared with a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CBI) for caregivers of people with dementia with high levels of guilt and distress.

Methods: Participants were 42 caregivers who were randomized assigned to the intervention conditions.

Results: Participants in the GFI showed significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and guilt at posttreatment and follow-up. Participants in the CBI presented reductions in anxiety and guilt at posttreatment and follow-up. Clinically significant change for guilt was found in 62.5% in the GFI and 9.09% in the CBI group at posttreatment. At follow-up, 58.33% in GFI and 12.5% in the CBI group were recovered.

Conclusions: The preliminary results of this pilot study suggest that caregivers with significant levels of guilt and distress might benefit from an intervention specifically designed to target guilt feelings.

Clinical implications: A novel and initial intervention approach specifically designed for targeting caregivers' feelings of guilt might have the potential to reduce caregiver's emotional distress.