The effectiveness of self-compassion-focused therapy on depression, caregiving stress, and alexithymia in caregivers of elderly people with Alzheimer's disease

Authors
Abolfazl Sadeghi
Mohammad Mahdi Jahangiri
Davood Taghvaei
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of self-compassion therapy on depression, caregiving burden, and alexithymia among caregivers of elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and control group. The statistical population included all caregivers of elderly Alzheimer’s patients who referred to the Iranian Alzheimer’s Association in Arak City between February and August 2024. A total of 30 participants were selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups. Research instruments included the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). The experimental group received 8 sessions of self-compassion therapy, while the control group received no intervention. Findings indicated that self-compassion therapy significantly reduced depression, caregiving burden, and alexithymia in the experimental group compared to the control group. These results highlight the importance of employing this therapeutic approach to improve the psychological well-being of caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients.

Keywords
Self-compassion therapy
depression
Caregiving burden
alexithymia
Caregivers of elderly Alzheimer’s patients
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