An interventional study of WeACT in Depression, Caregivers and Dementia, sponsored by University of South Florida. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-15.
Sponsored by University of South Florida · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether WeACT, a self-paced, web-based program, is feasible and helpful for adult family caregivers of a relative living with dementia. WeACT is based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which teaches skills to handle difficult thoughts and feelings and take steps toward what matters most.
The main questions this study aims to answer are:
Participants will:
Family caregivers of people living with dementia often experience psychological distress (such as depressive symptoms and stress) and face practical barriers to accessing support. This study will evaluate WeACT, a research-developed, self-paced, web-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) skills program designed to support caregivers' mental health outcomes in a scalable format. This is a one-group, pretest-posttest mixed-methods pilot study conducted fully online. All enrolled participants will receive access to the WeACT program. The study will assess feasibility and user experience and will explore pre-to-post changes in caregiver mental health outcomes and ACT-related processes. WeACT includes six self-paced weekly ACT modules and a tailored daily practice section. Each weekly module includes ACT skills training materials. The daily practice section provides brief, in-the-moment ACT skill coaching based on participants' current self-ratings. Recruitment will occur by distributing a study flyer across the United States. Interested individuals will contact the study team and complete an online eligibility screening survey. Eligible individuals will complete electronic informed consent and then complete pretest questionnaires online. After completing baseline procedures, participants will receive program access and study-specific login credentials. Participants will be encouraged to complete one module per week and to use the daily practice section regularly during the intervention period. After completing the program modules, participants will complete posttest questionnaires online and participate in a one-time individual interview. Interviews will be conducted and recorded using the HIPAA-compliant version of Microsoft Teams. Feasibility will be evaluated using recruitment, retention, and adherence indicators and by documenting reasons for ineligibility and dropout. The program will also capture engagement and in-program response data. Pretest and posttest questionnaires will be used to explore changes in caregiver mental health outcomes and ACT-related processes and to assess perceived feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and usability at posttest. Qualitative interviews will be used to understand participant experiences and identify recommendations to refine the program and study procedures. Analyses will focus on feasibility and descriptive characterization of engagement. Pre-to-post changes will be explored using paired statistical tests as appropriate. Daily practice data will be explored using multilevel modeling to estimate average change and individual variability over time. Interview data will be analyzed using thematic analysis to summarize common experiences and improvement suggestions. All data will be collected electronically using university-approved secure platforms (Qualtrics, the WeACT program hosted on the secure USF Microsoft Azure environment, and HIPAA-compliant Microsoft Teams). WeACT is not publicly available and is accessible only to enrolled participants. Participants will use study-specific login credentials. Identifying information will be collected only as needed for study operations (e.g., communication and compensation) and stored separately from research data. Study data will be stored in secure, access-controlled USF systems (including USF Box), with access restricted to authorized study personnel. Only de-identified, aggregate results will be used for dissemination.
Family caregivers of people living with dementia will be eligible to participate if they meet all of the following criteria:
Exclusion criteria
Family caregivers of people living with dementia will be excluded if they meet any of the following criteria:
The ACT group will complete the WeACT program, a self-paced, web-based ACT program that includes six weekly online modules and a daily practice section.
Behavioral: WeACT
WeACT includes six self-paced weekly ACT modules and a tailored daily practice component. Each weekly module includes ACT skills training materials. The daily practice section provides brief, in-the-moment ACT skill coaching based on participants' current self-ratings.
Enrollment rate
Enrollment rate will be defined as the number of individuals who consent and complete baseline divided by the number eligible and invited.
Time frame: During the recruitment period (up to approximately 6 months)
Retention (post-intervention assessment completion)
Retention will be defined as the proportion of enrolled participants who complete the post-intervention assessment.
Time frame: Baseline through post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Core module completion (adherence)
Adherence will be defined as completion of the core modules (range 0-6 modules).
Time frame: During program participation (~6-8 weeks)
Acceptability of Intervention Measure
4-item acceptability rating (5-point Likert-type responses; 1 = completely disagree to 5 = completely agree).
Time frame: Post-intervention (~6-8 weeks)
Intervention Appropriateness Measure
4-item appropriateness rating (5-point Likert-type responses; 1 = completely disagree to 5 = completely agree).
Time frame: Post-intervention (~6-8 weeks)
Feasibility of Intervention Measure
4-item perceived feasibility rating (5-point Likert-type responses; 1 = completely disagree to 5 = completely agree).
Time frame: Post-intervention (~6-8 weeks)
System Usability Scale (SUS)
10-item usability measure (5-point Likert); interpreted using common benchmarks (e.g., \~68 average; ≥70 acceptable).
Time frame: Post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Change in Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores from baseline to post-intervention
PHQ-9 is a nine-item self-report questionnaire assessing depressive symptoms over the past two weeks, rated from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). Total scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating greater severity of depressive symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Change in Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scores from baseline to post-intervention
GAD-7 is a seven-item self-report questionnaire assessing anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks, rated from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). Total scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores reflecting greater anxiety symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Change in Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) scores from baseline to post-intervention
PSS-10 is a 10-item questionnaire assessing stress on a scale of 0 to 4. Scores range from 0 to 40. Higher scores indicate greater stress.
Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Change in World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF)- Psychological Health Subscale scores from baseline to post-intervention
WHOQOL-BREF-Psychological Health Subscale has 6 items measuring psychological quality of life on a scale of 1 to 5. The total scores range from 6 to 30. Higher scores denote a higher quality of life in terms of psychological health.
Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Change in Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) scores from baseline to post-intervention
ZBI is a 12-item self-report questionnaire assessing caregiver burden on a scale of 0 to 4. The total scores range from 0 to 48. Higher scores indicate higher burden levels.
Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Change in Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory-Brief Form (MM-CGI-BF) scores from baseline to post-intervention
MM-CGI-BF is a six-item self-report questionnaire that assesses pre-death grief in caregivers of people with dementia, rated on a scale from 1 to 5. Scores range from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater grief.
Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Change in Caregiver Guilt Questionnaire (CGQ) scores from baseline to post-intervention
CGQ is a 22-item self-report measure that assesses feelings of guilt in caregivers, rated on a scale from 0 to 4. Scores range from 0 to 88, with higher scores indicating greater levels of guilt.
Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Change in Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) scores from baseline to post-intervention
BEAQ is a15-item self-report measure of experiential avoidance on a scale of 1 to 6. Total scores range from 15 to 90, with higher scores indicating greater experiential avoidance.
Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Change in Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire-7 (CFQ-7) scores from baseline to post-intervention
CFQ-7 is a 7-item self-report questionnaire measuring cognitive fusion on a scale of 1 to 7. The total scores range from 7 to 49, and higher scores indicate a higher degree of cognitive fusion.
Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Change in Engaged Living Scale-9 (ELS-9) scores from baseline to post-intervention
ELS-9 is a 9-item self-assessment instrument that measures clarity and engagement with personal values and life fulfillment on a scale of 1 to 5. The total scores range from 9 to 45, and higher scores indicate increased clarity and engagement with personal values.
Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Change in Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory-24 (MPFI-24) scores from baseline to post-intervention
MPFI-24 is a 24-item self-report measure of multidimensional psychological flexibility and inflexibility processes on a scale of 1 to 6. Higher subscale or composite scores indicate greater psychological flexibility or inflexibility.
Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
User experiences (Semi-structured individual interviews)
Individual interviews (\~40 minutes) will be conducted via videoconference to explore user experiences (e.g., perceived impact, usability/access, and suggestions for improvement).
Time frame: Post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
In-app daily ACT skills practice use
Number of self-initiated, tailored ACT daily practice sections completed per participant (log-based).
Time frame: During program participation (~6-8 weeks)
Participant Perceptions of Weekly Modules and Daily Practice Section
Separate additional questions about the online weekly modules and daily practice section will assess participants' perceptions of clarity, ease of use, visual design and layout, relevance, engagement, perceived usefulness, manageability, and overall satisfaction using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Mean scale scores will be calculated.
Time frame: Post-intervention (approximately 6-8 weeks)
Plan to share: No
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University of South Florida