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Mindfulness-Based Mobile Application for African American Caregivers

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Abstract

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are disproportionately African American and many report receiving care from informal (unpaid) caregivers, typically friends and family, including emotional and physical support, financial assistance, and health advice. Informal caregiving can lead to increased stress levels, which, in turn, may cause physical and mental health problems in caregivers. This pilot proof-of-concept study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a mobile application (app) designed to reduce caregiver stress. In this prospective mixed-methods study, African American informal caregivers for PLWHA were recruited from a community-based research center and provided with the app. In eight semi-structured interviews, preliminary feedback regarding app utility and recommendations for improvement was provided by caregivers. Subsequently, a feasibility trial was conducted in which caregiver participants (n = 30) were instructed to use the app daily for 4 weeks, and feasibility and acceptability data were obtained. Most of the caregivers in the feasibility trial were female 18/30 (60%) and 100% were African American, with a mean age of 57.6 years (SD = 11.03). The most frequently used app modules were guided journaling, positive affirmations, and inspirational quotes. Overall, the participants were extremely satisfied with the app (96.3%) and reported that they would recommend it to friends and family. Overall, the app was well-utilized and perceived as valuable by this group of informal caregivers of PLWHA. Further research is needed to refine app content and evaluate its effectiveness in reducing perceived stress and caregiver burden.

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Data Availability

The deidentified data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Dr. Melissa S. Gerald, our NIA Program Official. We would also like to thank the staff at the participating community-based research center for their assistance with this project. Finally, we wish to thank our project staff for their efforts related to this study.

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award Number R41 AG071168 (PIs: Carswell and Alexander). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Friends Research Institute, 1040 Park Avenue, Suite 103, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    S. B. Carswell, K. Alexander, J. Gryczynski & A. M. Horodyski

  2. Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 624 North Broadway, Room 745, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    A. R. Knowlton

  3. Thomas Jefferson University, 1233 Locust Street, Suite 401, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA

    D. J. Abatemarco

  4. BLN24, 1775 Tysons Blvd, 5Th Floor, McLean, VA, 22102, USA

    M. M. Mitchell

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  1. S. B. Carswell
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  2. K. Alexander
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  4. A. R. Knowlton
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by SC, KA, and AH. The first draft of the manuscript was written by SC and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. B. Carswell.

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Ethics Approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by WIRB-Copernicus Group (WCG) Institutional Review Board (Study Number 20213591).

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Competing Interests

Two of the authors, Drs. Carswell and Gryczynski, are co-owners of the small business (COG Analytics) to whom the grant award was made. The co-owners could potentially profit from the app if it is commercialized. The other authors, Drs. Alexander, Knowlton, Abatemarco, Mitchell, and Ms. Horodyski do not have any declarations of interest to report. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.

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Carswell, S.B., Alexander, K., Gryczynski, J. et al. Mindfulness-Based Mobile Application for African American Caregivers. J. technol. behav. sci. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-023-00366-7

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