title: Decreased mental health care utilization following a psychosocial intervention in caregivers of hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.
abstract: Caregivers are known to experience increased morbidity when compared to noncaregivers. Does an intervention targeting caregiver distress affect their health care utilization? One hundred forty-eight caregivers of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients were randomized to treatment as usual (TAU) or a psychoeducation, paced respiration, and relaxation (PEPRR) intervention. Assessments of caregivers' service utilization were collected at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months post-transplant. During the first 30 days after patient transplant, caregiver medical and mental health professional service use decreased while support group attendance peaked. Mixed model regressions showed a significant decrease in mental health service use by the PEPRR group (P=0.001). At six months caregivers in TAU had predicted marginal probabilities of mental health services utilization over 10 times as high as caregivers in PEPRR (18.1% vs 1.5%). Groups failed to differ in medical service (P=0.861) or support group (P=0.067) use. We can conclude that participation in PEPRR compared to TAU was associated with reduced mental health service utilization. Caregiver psychosocial support services are critical to improve caregiver outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Duke University , Durham, NC ; Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado , Denver, CO.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ouseph
authors.affiliation: Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado , Denver, CO.
authors.forename: Calvin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Croy
authors.affiliation: Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado , Denver, CO.
authors.forename: Crystal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Natvig
authors.affiliation: Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado , Denver, CO.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Simoneau
authors.affiliation: Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado , Denver, CO.
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Laudenslager
keywords: caregivers; intervention; mental health; stress