A pilot study of immune and mood outcomes of a community-based intervention for dementia caregivers: The PLST intervention

Linda Garand; Kathleen C Buckwalter; David Lubaroff; Toni Tripp-Reimer; Rita A Frantz; Timothy N Ansley

doi:10.1053/apnu.2002.34392

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A pilot study of immune and mood outcomes of a community-based intervention for dementia caregivers: The PLST intervention

Journal article

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A pilot study of immune and mood outcomes of a community-based intervention for dementia caregivers: The PLST intervention

Linda Garand, Kathleen C Buckwalter, David Lubaroff, Toni Tripp-Reimer, Rita A Frantz and Timothy N Ansley

Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, Vol.16(4), pp.156-167

2002

DOI: 10.1053/apnu.2002.34392

PMCID: PMC2864067

PMID: 12143075

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/2864067View

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Abstract

Providing care to a family member with dementia is conceptualized as a chronic stressor with adverse psychological and physical effects. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate mood and immune outcomes of caregivers exposed to a community-based psychoeducational nursing intervention based on the progressively lowered stress threshold (PLST) model. The PLST intervention is designed to strengthen the psychological resources of dementia caregivers by teaching methods of preventing and/or managing behavioral problems exhibited by the person with dementia. Mood and immune outcomes were compared between caregivers randomly assigned to receive either the PLST or a comparison intervention. Results of this pilot study suggest that caregivers who received the PLST intervention showed significantly stronger T-cell proliferative responses to both PHA and ConA, indicating an improvement in T-cell immune function immediately after the in-home intervention (T2) and again after 6 months of telephone support for application of the PLST model (T3). Findings do not support the hypothesis that the PLST intervention had a significant effect on total mood disturbance or natural killer cell cytotoxicity over the course of the study.

Details

Title: Subtitle: A pilot study of immune and mood outcomes of a community-based intervention for dementia caregivers: The PLST intervention
Creators: Linda Garand
Kathleen C Buckwalter - University of Iowa, Health Management and Policy
David Lubaroff - University of Iowa, Urology
Toni Tripp-Reimer - University of Iowa, Nursing
Rita A Frantz
Timothy N Ansley - University of Iowa, Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, Vol.16(4), pp.156-167
DOI: 10.1053/apnu.2002.34392
PMID: 12143075
PMCID: PMC2864067
NLM abbreviation: Arch Psychiatr Nurs
ISSN: 0883-9417
eISSN: 1532-8228
Language: English
Date published: 2002
Academic Unit: Health Management and Policy; Nursing; Urology; Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
Record Identifier: 9983557792602771

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