Home › Research › Treatments
Benefit-Finding Intervention Delivered Individually to Alzheimer Family Caregivers: Longer-Term Outcomes of a Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial
Cheng ST, Mak EPM, Kwok T, Fung H, Lam LCW.. The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2020-10-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives To examine the longer-term effects of benefit-finding on caregivers' depressive symptoms (primary outcome), and global burden, role overload, psychological well-being, and positive aspects of caregiving (secondary outcomes). Method Ninety-six Hong Kong Chinese caregivers of relatives with Alzheimer's disease were randomly assigned to receive the benefit-finding intervention (BFT) or one of the two control conditions, namely, simplified psychoeducation (lectures only; SIM-PE) or standard psychoeducation (STD-PE). Caregivers received four biweekly one-to-one interventions of 3 hours each at their own homes. We focused on outcomes measured at 4- and 10-month follow-ups. The trajectories of intervention effects were modeled by BFT × time and BFT × time2 interaction terms. Results Mixed-effects regression showed significant BFT × time2 interaction effects on depressive symptoms against both control conditions, suggesting diminishing BFT effects over time. Z tests showed that, compared with controls, BFT participants reported substantial reductions in depressive symptoms at 4-month follow-up (d = -0.85 and -0.75 vs. SIM-PE and STD-PE, respectively). For depressive symptoms measured at 10-month follow-up, BFT was indistinguishable from STD-PE, whereas a moderate effect was observed in comparison with SIM-PE (d = -0.52). Moreover, positive aspects of caregiving, but not other secondary outcomes, continued to show intervention effect up to 10-month follow-up. Discussion Benefit-finding is an efficacious intervention for depressive symptoms in Alzheimer caregivers, with strong effects in the medium-term post-intervention and possible moderate effects in the longer-term post-intervention.
Key findings
- Results Mixed-effects regression showed significant BFT × time2 interaction effects on depressive symptoms against both control conditions, suggesting diminishing BFT effects over time.
- Z tests showed that, compared with controls, BFT participants reported substantial reductions in depressive symptoms at 4-month follow-up (d = -0.85 and -0.75 vs.
Why it matters
In this trial of 96 caregivers, a benefit-finding intervention reduced depressive symptoms at 4 months compared with control conditions, but the effects diminished over time. By 10 months, the intervention was no different from standard psychoeducation, though a moderate effect remained compared with simplified psychoeducation.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Treatments →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 58/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for sample size and effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | The Journals of Gerontology Series B: journal h-index 225 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial (from PubMed type “Randomized Controlled Trial”) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study) |
| Randomised / blinded | 2 / 2 | Randomised and blinded or placebo-controlled (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 47 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.9 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 28 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author LINDA C. W. LAM: h-index 50 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Chinese University of Hong Kong: institution h-index 1,100 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 31556447) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 58 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — Unpaywall lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Cheng, S. T., Mak, E. P. M., Kwok, T., Fung, H., & Lam, L. C. W. (2020). Benefit-Finding Intervention Delivered Individually to Alzheimer Family Caregivers: Longer-Term Outcomes of a Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial. The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbz118
Vancouver
Cheng ST, Mak EPM, Kwok T, Fung H, Lam LCW. Benefit-Finding Intervention Delivered Individually to Alzheimer Family Caregivers: Longer-Term Outcomes of a Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial. The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences. 2020. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbz118. PMID: 31556447.
BibTeX
@article{cheng2020-31556447,
author = {Cheng, S. T. and Mak, E. P. M. and Kwok, T. and Fung, H. and Lam, L. C. W.},
title = {{Benefit-Finding Intervention Delivered Individually to Alzheimer Family Caregivers: Longer-Term Outcomes of a Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial}},
journal = {The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1093/geronb/gbz118},
pmid = {31556447},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbz118}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 14.
Later studies that cite this one
3 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Treatments
Also tagged “care”
996 studies in the library carry the topic tag “care”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 996 tagged studies.