Comparing Structured Retrieval Practice and Reading-Based Education for Dementia Caregivers
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Structured Retrieval Practice, Reading-Based Education.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Dementia, Alzheimer Disease, Caregiver Stress. Basic parameters: from 50 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Care Partner-Centered Structured Retrieval Practice Intervention for Dementia Caregiver Education and Well-Being
Overview
Caring for a person living with dementia can be stressful, and many family caregivers report limited access to effective educational resources for managing dementia-related behaviors and caregiver stress. This study will evaluate a learning-based educational intervention called structured retrieval practice (SRP), which is designed to improve long-term learning by encouraging repeated recall of information with feedback. Informal dementia caregivers will be randomly assigned to learn caregiving and self-care strategies using either SRP or a traditional reading-based educational approach. Participants will be assessed on their knowledge, confidence in caregiving skills, stress levels, and perceptions of dementia-related behavioral symptoms over multiple follow-up periods. The study will also examine whether the SRP intervention is feasible and acceptable for caregivers in real-world settings.
Detailed description
Caring for someone with dementia is often associated with high levels of stress, particularly when caregivers lack knowledge about how to manage behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Although educational resources for dementia caregivers are widely available, many are not designed using evidence-based learning principles that support long-term retention and application of information. Structured retrieval practice (SRP) is a learning strategy that enhances durable learning by requiring individuals to actively recall information over time while receiving corrective feedback.
This study is a longitudinal randomized controlled trial comparing an SRP-based educational intervention to a traditional reading-based education control condition. Informal caregivers of individuals living with dementia will be randomly assigned to one of two parallel arms. Both groups will receive educational content focused on managing dementia-related behavioral symptoms, coping strategies, and caregiver self-care; however, the format of instruction will differ by condition.
Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, and at 2-day, 2-week, and 2-month follow-up time points. Primary outcomes include caregiver knowledge retention, caregiving self-efficacy, perceived stress, and caregiver-reported severity of dementia-related behavioral symptoms. In addition, the study will evaluate intervention feasibility, acceptability, and adherence using self-report measures and backend program usage data.
Data will be collected either remotely or in person, depending on participant preference. The findings from this study will inform the development of evidence-based educational approaches that may be integrated into existing caregiver education programs and digital tools to better support families caring for individuals with dementia.
Interventions
- Behavioral Structured Retrieval Practice
The structured retrieval practice intervention is an educational learning approach designed to support durable knowledge retention through repeated active recall of information with corrective feedback. Caregivers will engage in retrieval-based learning activities focused on dementia symptom management, coping strategies, and self-care. Learning activities will be spaced over time, and participants will receive immediate feedback to support learning and retention. - Behavioral Reading-Based Education
The reading-based education control condition consists of caregiver educational materials presented in a traditional reading format. Participants will review written information covering dementia-related behavioral symptoms, coping strategies, and caregiver self-care. Materials will be matched in content to the structured retrieval practice condition but will not include active retrieval or feedback components.
Primary outcome measures
- Caregiver Knowledge Retention [Time frame: Baseline; 2 days post-intervention; 2 weeks post-intervention; 2 months post-intervention]
- Caregiver Self-Efficacy [Time frame: Baseline; 2 days post-intervention; 2 weeks post-intervention; 2 months post-intervention]
- Caregiver Perceived Stress [Time frame: Baseline; 2 days post-intervention; 2 weeks post-intervention; 2 months post-intervention]
Secondary outcome measures (3)
- Caregiver-Reported Dementia-Related Behavioral Symptoms [Time frame: Baseline; 2 days post-intervention; 2 weeks post-intervention; 2 months post-intervention]
- Intervention Acceptability and Satisfaction [Time frame: Immediately after completion of the intervention session.]
- Intervention Adherence [Time frame: During intervention period]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Adults aged 50 years or older
- Informal (unpaid) caregiver for a family member or friend living with dementia
- Providing ongoing assistance or support to the individual with dementia
- Reports moderate to high perceived stress, defined as a score of 14 or higher on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10)
- Able to speak and read English
- Able to complete study procedures either in person or remotely
- Has access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet access
- Willing and able to provide informed consent
Exclusion criteria
- Paid or professional caregivers (e.g., home health aides)
- Caregivers younger than 50 years of age
- Caregivers reporting low perceived stress (PSS-10 score below 14)
- Caregivers providing assistance to an individual without evidence of cognitive - impairment, as determined by a dementia screening interview (AD8 score < 2)
- Inability to complete study procedures due to cognitive, sensory, or technological limitations
- Failure to meet study screening requirements or provide informed consent
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Other
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- Virginia Wesleyan University — Virginia Beach
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07413406 · ARDRAF-2025-ARIEL