Effectiveness of the online 'Dialogue Circles' nursing intervention to increase positive mental health and reduce the burden of caregivers of patients with complex chronic conditions. Randomized clinical trial

Abstract

The personal demands involved in caring for a chronically ill person can lead to emotional and physical exhaustion in caregivers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an online nursing intervention called 'dialogue circles' designed to reduce caregiver overload and enhance positive mental health (PMH) in family caregivers. We used a pre-post design. The sample consisted of 86 family caregivers of patients with complex chronic conditions, randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 43) or the control group (n = 43). All participants completed the Zarit scale and the Positive Mental Health Questionnaire 15 days before starting the intervention and 30 days after its completion. Comparison of the post-test changes revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups in PMH and overload, with the intervention group showing greater positive changes in all dimensions of PMH after the intervention and lower scores on overload. In conclusion, the results suggest that incorporating dialogue circles as an online nursing intervention in the caregivers of patients with complex chronic conditions can enhance PMH and decrease caregiver overload, especially in settings where face-to-face encounters are not possible.