Asian / Pacific Island Nursing Journal
Article Title
Home Visit Based Mindfulness Intervention for Vietnamese American Dementia Family Caregivers
Author ORCID Identifier
Jung-Ah Lee
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0678-5956
Abstract
Background: Healthcare disparities continue to exist among the Vietnamese American (VA) community and many factors (e.g. fear of social stigma) deter family caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD) from seeking assistance.
Purpose: To pilot-test a language specific and culturally appropriate mindfulness intervention to improve dementia VA family caregiver well-being.
Methods: Bilingual, trained research assistants administered a mindfulness exercise (i.e., deep breathing) to family caregivers and provided continuous support and care resources through weekly home visits for a month. Weekly surveys measured changes in emotion, feelings of connectedness to the PWD, and mood (i.e., happiness) before and after the intervention.
Results: A total of nine VA family caregivers of PWD participated in this pilot study. Positive affect showed an increasing trend (Mpre=16.0 (SD=3.48), Mpost =17.1 (SD=3.06)) and negative affect showed a decreasing trend (Mpre=6.44 (SD=3.31), Mpost =5.22 (SD=0.359)). Happiness showed an increasing trend (Mpre=4.30 (SD=0.767), Mpost =4.44 (SD=0.873)).
Conclusions: These findings suggest that a home-based dementia family caregiver intervention with mindfulness exercises may potentially increase positive affect and decrease negative affect in Vietnamese American family caregivers of PWD. Similar interventions may help reduce caregiver burden in dementia family caregivers of other cultures.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors have no conflict of interest.
Funding
Arthur N. Rupe Foundation
University of California Irvine Undergraduate Research Program
Recommended Citation
Le, C. T., & Lee, J. (2021). Home Visit Based Mindfulness Intervention for Vietnamese American Dementia Family Caregivers. Asian / Pacific Island Nursing Journal, 5(4).
