Caregiving appraisal and interventions based on the progressively lowered stress threshold model

The purpose of this article is to describe the impact of a theoretically driven, psychoeducational intervention based on the Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold (PLST) model on caregiving appraisal among community-based caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. A total of 241 subjects completed the year-long study in four sites in Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, and Arizona. Caregiving appraisal was measured using the four factors of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Caregiving Appraisal Scale: mastery, burden, satisfaction, and impact. Analysis of trends over time showed that the intervention positively affected impact, burden, and satisfaction but had no effect on mastery when measured against the comparison group. The PLST model was influential in increasing positive appraisal and decreasing negative appraisal of the caregiving situation.