The effect of structured psychoeducation for caregivers of ALS patients on perceived stress, psychological resilience and self-compassion

Abstract

Patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) become dependent on caregivers to meet their daily needs and perform personal care activities. For this reason, ALS is a disease that can challenge both the patient and the caregiver physically, mentally and socially. Supporting the caregiver indirectly affects the patient's quality of care and mental well-being. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of a structured psychoeducation program on coping with stress, psychological resilience and self-compassion in caregivers of ALS patients. This quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test control group was conducted with caregivers of 62 ALS patients in Türkiye. The study was conducted between July 2023 and February 2024. A psychoeducation program was applied to five different groups via zoom application for 6 weeks each. The survey form, Perceived Stress Scale, Brief Resilience Scale and Short Form of Self-Compassion Questionnaire were used as measurement tools. The chi-squared test and paired samples t-test were used to analyze the data. While there was no significant difference between the intervention group and the control group in the pre-test in terms of their mean scores on the coping with stress inventory, short psychological resilience scale and self-compassion scale, at the post-test, psychological resilience and self-compassion scores were significantly higher in the intervention group. This study revealed that psychoeducational programs that support caregivers are effective in increasing psychological resilience and self-compassion.