Effects of family caregivers keeping a “Good Things Diary of Caregiving” on mental health, caregiving burden, and positive evaluations of caregiving: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background

We explored the impact of writing a “Good Things Diary (GTDiary) of Caregiving” on family caregivers’ mental health and their evaluation of caregiving roles.

Method

We analyzed data from 27 Japanese caregivers for their parents recruited through crowdsourcing. We randomly assigned the participants to one of two groups: the GTDiary of Caregiving group (15 participants) or the Control Diary of Caregiving group (12 participants). We instructed both groups to write a diary for 14 days. Pre- and post-diary questionnaires assessed participants’ well-being, caregiving burden, positive evaluations of caregiving, and stress levels.

Results

We observed significant improvements in well-being and positive evaluations of caregiving only in the GTDiary of Caregiving group, which had higher well-being and more positive evaluations of caregiving after keeping the diary. However, both groups experienced reductions in caregiving burden and stress.

Limitation

Our group of participants included children and stepchildren of caregivers since we made use of crowdsourcing services. Additionally, this study had a mostly male representation among participants, which does not match with the higher occurrence of female family caregivers in Japan. Consequently, the study's participants may not fully reflect the broader population of family caregivers.

Conclusions

Writing a caregiving diary helps family caregivers reduce their perceived burden and stress. Focusing on “good things” in caregiving elevates their perception of positive aspects and enhances well-being.