Ninth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Caregiver of children with serious and life-threatening illness face multiple, intensive and prolonged stressors. In addition to uncertainty regarding the future and concern for their child’s health, these stressors include impact on family life, navigation of a complex medical system, critical decision making, employment challenges, and financial pressures, among others. The caregiver’s method of coping with these stressors may impact their physical and psychological health and well-being and, in turn, their ability to effectively meet these challenges. Bright IDEAS (BI) is a cognitive behavioral intervention whose objective is to enhance coping skills and reduce emotional distress among caregivers of children with serious and life-threatening illness. This paper describes the development, theoretical model, and fundamental components of BI. The results of three large scale multi-center randomized trials involving over 900 caregivers of children with cancer is presented. In Study 1, the efficacy of BI was demonstrated in comparison to usual psychosocial care, with improved problem solving skills and reduced negative mood and posttraumatic stress symptoms both following treatment and at follow up. In Study 2, the specificity of BI was tested in comparison to a non-directive support intervention, with superior outcomes for the BI intervention demonstrated at follow up. In Study 3, an online BI intervention was developed and found to be feasible and effective, increasing the prospects for widespread dissemination. These findings, as well as studies with other pediatric populations, establish BI as an evidence-based intervention for caregivers of children with serious and life-threatening illness.