The effect of group discussion and telephone counselling on perceived stress of women as caregivers of patient with Alzheimer disease

Caring for patients with dementia especially Alzheimer, is the most hardship, damaging and challenging of cares that caregivers expose to it. The lack of education about it increases the problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of group discussion and telephone counselling on perceived stress of women as caregivers of patient with Alzheimer disease. In this study, 150 women who had 18-60 years old as a close relative to elderly patient with Alzheimer and at least being direct caregivers for six months, with convenience method were selected and by blocking randomization were allocated to control and experimental groups. The experimental group was participated in the group discussion and telephone counselling. Post-test was carried out six weeks after the program. The instruments for data gathering were demographic items and perceived stress Questionnaire. Independent t-test, paired t-test, Chi-square and ANOVA test were used. The study findings showed that before group discussion and telephone counselling 50.7% of samples in intervention group and 57.3% of samples in control group had high level of stress. Our results demonstrated that after the intervention, the mean of perceived stress in experimental group was decreased from 28.38±8.62 to 22.45±5.55 (p≤0.001) which shows decrease of stress. In the control group mean was increased from 29.88±8.66 to 31.92± 6.31 (p=0.009) which shows increase of stress. There were significant relationship between perceived stress and the variables of education (p= 0.03), and economic status (p= 0.01). Caregiver women of patient elders with Alzheimer disease as the main resource of informal caregivers, experience high levels of stress that this problem treats health of women and their elderly. Group discussion and telephone counselling are effective to decrease perceived stress of women as caregivers of patient with Alzheimer disease. Thus, this method of education is suggested.