A randomized, controlled trial of a patient/caregiver symptom control intervention: Effects on depressive symptomatology of caregivers of cancer patients

In this study, we investigated whether a clinical nursing intervention focusing on teaching family caregivers and their cancer patients skills to better manage the patients' symptoms would reduce caregiver depressive symptomatology. Two hundred thirty-seven patient/caregiver dyads were recruited for the study. These dyads were randomized into either the 10-contact, 20-week, experimental intervention group (n = 118), which focused on assisting the patient and caregiver in managing patient symptoms and reducing emotional distress, or to a conventional care control group (n = 119). A longitudinal random effective regression analysis did not indicate that the clinical nursing intervention was effective in decreasing caregiver depression over the 20-week course of the study. The relationship of the intervention to caregiver depressive symptomatology seems to be a complex one. We recommend further research to explore whether a lengthened intervention and/or delayed follow-up might reveal delayed positive effects of such interventions.