title: Peer support for family carers of people with dementia, alone or in combination with group reminiscence in a factorial design: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peer support interventions can improve carer wellbeing and interventions that engage both the carer and person with dementia can have significant mutual benefits. Existing research has been criticised for inadequate rigour of design or reporting. This paper describes the protocol for a complex trial that evaluates one-to-one peer support and a group reminiscence programme, both separately and together, in a factorial design.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 2 × 2 factorial multi-site randomised controlled trial of individual peer support and group reminiscence interventions for family carers and people with dementia in community settings in England, addressing both effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The methods described in this protocol have implications for research into psychosocial interventions, particularly complex interventions seeking to test both individual and group approaches.
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Clinical, Educational, and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK. g.charlesworth@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Georgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Charlesworth
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Burnell
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beecham
authors.forename: Zoë
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hoare
authors.forename: Juanita
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hoe
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wenborn
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Bob
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orrell
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012107:Research Design; D012944:Social Support