Feasibility and Acceptability of Videoconference-Based Family Psychoeducation for Young Adult Caregivers of Family Members With Major Depressive Disorder: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
- 1Department of Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Toho University, 4-16-20, Omori-Nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo, 143-0015, Japan, 81 3-3762-9881, 81 3-3766-3914.
- 2Department of Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
- 3School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.
Abstract
Background
Young adult caregivers of a family member with major depressive disorder (MDD) constitute a vulnerable population. They have substantial support needs because they often experience psychological distress and daily burdens during a developmental period in which education, partnership formation, and parenting frequently overlap with caregiving responsibilities. Consequently, the burden associated with caring for a family member with MDD may adversely affect young adult caregivers' mental health and life stability. Despite these needs, support programs and intervention studies specifically targeting young adult caregivers remain scarce. Videoconference-based family psychoeducation (vFPE) may help address this gap, improving access for individuals facing time and geographic barriers. However, the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of vFPE in this population has not yet been established.Objective
The objective of this study is to examine the feasibility of conducting a waitlist-controlled pilot RCT of vFPE and the acceptability of the vFPE intervention among young adult caregivers of a family member with MDD.Methods
This study is a waitlist-controlled pilot RCT. Young adult caregivers (aged 18-39 y) will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group or a waitlist control group. Participants in the intervention group will receive 4 weekly 40-minute vFPE sessions. The primary outcomes are feasibility and acceptability. Feasibility will be assessed by recruitment, randomization, intervention completion, dropout rates, and safety. Acceptability will be assessed using the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 Japanese version. Exploratory outcomes, including anxiety and depressive symptoms, mental well-being, psychological distress, caregiver burden, self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life, will be assessed at baseline, postintervention, and 1-month follow-up via online self-administered questionnaires. Exploratory outcomes will be used to inform the design of a future definitive RCT rather than to draw conclusions about intervention effectiveness.Results
This paper describes the study protocol. Ethical approval was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Nursing, Toho University, on December 18, 2025. Recruitment commenced on January 10, 2026, with the first participant enrolled on February 20, 2026. As of May 2026, 8 participants had been enrolled. Intervention delivery and data collection are expected to continue until March 2028. Study findings will be disseminated through presentations at academic conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals.Conclusions
This study will clarify the feasibility of conducting an RCT of vFPE among young adult caregivers of a family member with MDD, providing foundational data to inform the design of a future definitive RCT.
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BibTeX
@article{nakamura2026feasibility,
title = {{Feasibility and Acceptability of Videoconference-Based Family Psychoeducation for Young Adult Caregivers of Family Members With Major Depressive Disorder: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.}},
author = {Hideki Nakamura and Sho Okawa and Hiroki Tanoue and Yoshihiro Goto and Akari Matsuzawa and Keiko Ito},
journal = {JMIR research protocols},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2196/105182},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42912821},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Feasibility and Acceptability of Videoconference-Based Family Psychoeducation for Young Adult Caregivers of Family Members With Major Depressive Disorder: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
AU - Hideki Nakamura
AU - Sho Okawa
AU - Hiroki Tanoue
AU - Yoshihiro Goto
AU - Akari Matsuzawa
AU - Keiko Ito
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - JMIR research protocols
DO - 10.2196/105182
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42912821
AB - Background Young adult caregivers of a family member with major depressive disorder (MDD) constitute a vulnerable population. They have substantial support needs because they often experience psychological distress and daily burdens during a developmental period in which education, partnership formation, and parenting frequently overlap with caregiving responsibilities. Consequently, the burden associated with caring for a family member with MDD may adversely affect young adult caregivers' mental health and life stability. Despite these needs, support programs and intervention studies specifically targeting young adult caregivers remain scarce. Videoconference-based family psychoeducation (vFPE) may help address this gap, improving access for individuals facing time and geographic barriers. However, the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of vFPE in this population has not yet been established.Objective The objective of this study is to examine the feasibility of conducting a waitlist-controlled pilot RCT of vFPE and the acceptability of the vFPE intervention among young adult caregivers of a family member with MDD.Methods This study is a waitlist-controlled pilot RCT. Young adult caregivers (aged 18-39 y) will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group or a waitlist control group. Participants in the intervention group will receive 4 weekly 40-minute vFPE sessions. The primary outcomes are feasibility and acceptability. Feasibility will be assessed by recruitment, randomization, intervention completion, dropout rates, and safety. Acceptability will be assessed using the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 Japanese version. Exploratory outcomes, including anxiety and depressive symptoms, mental well-being, psychological distress, caregiver burden, self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life, will be assessed at baseline, postintervention, and 1-month follow-up via online self-administered questionnaires. Exploratory outcomes will be used to inform the design of a future definitive RCT rather than to draw conclusions about intervention effectiveness.Results This paper describes the study protocol. Ethical approval was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Nursing, Toho University, on December 18, 2025. Recruitment commenced on January 10, 2026, with the first participant enrolled on February 20, 2026. As of May 2026, 8 participants had been enrolled. Intervention delivery and data collection are expected to continue until March 2028. Study findings will be disseminated through presentations at academic conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals.Conclusions This study will clarify the feasibility of conducting an RCT of vFPE among young adult caregivers of a family member with MDD, providing foundational data to inform the design of a future definitive RCT.
SN - 1929-0748
ER -