The Caregivers' Attachment and Relationship Education Class: A New and Promising Group Therapy for Caregivers of Individuals with Parkinson's Disease

ABSTRACT

The authors examined whether a newly developed group therapy, based on principles of attachment theory and emotionally focused couples therapy, can potentially address the unique mental health and relationship difficulties in caregivers of individuals with Parkinson's disease. A comprehensive outreach effort, involving a review of 251 military veterans' medical records, yielded enrollment of seven spousal caregivers in the group therapy. At 1-month follow-up, caregivers who initially reported mild or greater levels of caregiver burden demonstrated statistically reliable declines in psychological distress, relationship distress, or both. Posttreatment surveys indicated positive perceptions in overall helpfulness of treatment goals, as well as positive changes in insight (e.g., greater understanding of the patient's attachment needs) and behaviors (e.g., greater social contact and self-care of the caregiver). Results are considered in the context of inadequate access to treatment for caregivers of spouses with Parkinson's disease or other major medical issues.

KEYWORDS:

• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
• group therapy
• Parkinson's Disease
• attachment theory
• caregiver burden

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Drs. Kim Bartholomew, Rebecca Cobb, Catherine McLaughlin, Marlene Morretti, and Daniel Storzbach for providing the educational background and clinical training to the first author that led to the development of the C.A.R.E. Class treatment manual.

Funding

This article is the result of research supported with resources and the use of facilities at the VA Portland HCS and the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of Campbell & Fairweather Psychology Group, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or the U.S. Government.