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Targeting and managing behavioral symptoms in individuals with dementia: a randomized trial of a nonpharmacological intervention
Gitlin LN, Winter L, Dennis MP, Hodgson N, Hauck WW.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2010-07-19
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives To test the effects of an intervention that helps families manage distressing behaviors in family members with dementia. Design Two-group randomized trial. Setting In home. Participants Two hundred seventy-two caregivers and people with dementia. Intervention Up to 11 home and telephone contacts over 16 weeks by health professionals who identified potential triggers of patient behaviors, including communication and environmental factors and patient undiagnosed medical conditions (by obtaining blood and urine samples) and trained caregivers in strategies to modify triggers and reduce their upset. Between 16 and 24 weeks, three telephone contacts reinforced strategy use. Measurements Primary outcomes were frequency of targeted problem behavior and caregiver upset with and confidence managing it at 16 weeks. Secondary outcomes were caregiver well-being and management skills at 16 and 24 weeks and caregiver perceived benefits. Prevalence of medical conditions for intervention patients were also examined. Results At 16 weeks, 67.5% of intervention caregivers reported improvement in targeted problem behavior, compared with 45.8% of caregivers in a no-treatment control group (P=.002), and reduced upset with (P=.03) and enhanced confidence managing (P=.01) the behavior. Additionally, intervention caregivers reported less upset with all problem behaviors (P=.001), less negative communication (P=.02), less burden (P=.05), and better well-being (P=.001) than controls. Fewer intervention caregivers had depressive symptoms (53.0%) than control group caregivers (67.8%, P=.02). Similar caregiver outcomes occurred at 24 weeks. Intervention caregivers perceived more study benefits (P Conclusion Targeting behaviors upsetting to caregivers and modifying potential triggers improves symptomatology in people with dementia and caregiver well-being and skills.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Gitlin, L. N., Winter, L., Dennis, M. P., Hodgson, N., & Hauck, W. W. (2010). Targeting and managing behavioral symptoms in individuals with dementia: a randomized trial of a nonpharmacological intervention. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02971.x
Vancouver
Gitlin LN, Winter L, Dennis MP, Hodgson N, Hauck WW. Targeting and managing behavioral symptoms in individuals with dementia: a randomized trial of a nonpharmacological intervention. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2010. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02971.x. PMID: 20662955.
BibTeX
@article{gitlin2010-20662955,
author = {Gitlin, L. N. and Winter, L. and Dennis, M. P. and Hodgson, N. and Hauck, W. W.},
title = {{Targeting and managing behavioral symptoms in individuals with dementia: a randomized trial of a nonpharmacological intervention}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02971.x},
pmid = {20662955},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02971.x}
}
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.
Key findings
- Results At 16 weeks, 67.5% of intervention caregivers reported improvement in targeted problem behavior, compared with 45.8% of caregivers in a no-treatment control group (P=.002), and reduced upset with (P=.03) and enhanced confidence managing (P=.01) the behavior.
Why it matters
In this randomized trial of 272 caregivers and people with dementia, an intervention of up to 11 home and telephone contacts over 16 weeks led to 67.5% of intervention caregivers reporting improvement in targeted problem behavior versus 45.8% of controls, along with reduced upset and enhanced confidence managing the behavior. The intervention trained caregivers to identify and modify triggers of patient behaviors, including communication, environmental factors, and undiagnosed medical conditions.
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Study details
- Study designrandomized controlled trial
- Effect size67.5%; 45.8%; 53.0%
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 65/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for sample size because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2010 — within 20 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 | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study) |
| Randomised / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomised (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 255 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 14.2 citations a year over 18 year(s) since 2010 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 18 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 31 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Walter W. Hauck: h-index 70 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Thomas Jefferson University: institution h-index 825 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 20662955) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 65 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02971.x
- PubMed: 20662955
- Original source →
- Free full text: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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