Past Event

Many stroke survivors require long-term care, often relying on assistance from family caregivers within the community. In Hong Kong (HK), the majority of stroke caregivers are family members who frequently need psychological support to cope with caregiver stress. However, a significant proportion of these caregivers receive insufficient psychological assistance. This trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of instant message-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in providing psychological support to caregivers. A randomised controlled trial was conducted with 256 stroke caregivers, who were randomly allocated to either the Intervention (n=128) or Control (n=128) group. The intervention group received CBT via WhatsApp messages, accompanied by nurse-led real-time chat support for three months. Depression (PHQ-9; primary outcome), anxiety (GAD-7), stress (PSS-4), loneliness (ULS-8), and caregiving experience (PAC and ZBI-4) were measured at baseline and three months. Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis was employed to analyse the data. Generalised estimating equations were used to estimate the parameters and evaluate post-test differences between the groups. A significant reduction in depressive symptoms was observed in the intervention group compared to the control group at three months post-intervention. Additionally, post-intervention psychological distress, including anxiety, stress, and loneliness, was significantly reduced, while caregiving experience improved in the intervention group compared to the control group. This trial demonstrated that CBT intervention delivered via WhatsApp messaging is effective in enhancing the psychological well-being and caregiving experience of stroke caregivers.

About the Speaker

Dr Jay Jung Jae LEE, B.S., MSc, PhD, RN

Dr Jay Lee is an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing of the University of Hong Kong. He started his early career as a stroke nurse. After five years clinical experience, he went on to pursue his Masters and PhD in the School of Health and Social Sciences (Nursing Studies) at the University of Edinburgh. Dr Lee has conducted studies in the research topics of stroke care, addictive behaviours including tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, and e-device use, and nursing and health education using diverse research designs including mixed methods. Particularly, he has significant experience in using research methodologies such as grounded theory, phenomenology, interpretive description, and thematic analysis to conduct rigorous qualitative studies.

Please note that this is a Hybrid event. We welcome colleagues to 66 Banbury Road or on line via Zoom: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86855041062

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