ZAPS Zu- und Angehörige Pflege Spiritualität – Family Caregivers and Spirituality (DRKS00036594): Development and evaluation of an intervention for family caregivers

Jenny Kubitza; Annette Haußmann; Eckhard Frick

doi:10.1515/spircare-2025-0046

Article

ZAPS Zu- und Angehörige Pflege Spiritualität – Family Caregivers and Spirituality (DRKS00036594)

Development and evaluation of an intervention for family caregivers

Jenny Kubitza , Annette Haußmann and Eckhard Frick

Published/Copyright: August 2, 2025

Published by

Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Submit Manuscript Author Information

From the journal Spiritual Care Volume 14 Issue 2

Abstract

Family caregivers (FCs) suffer from multiple strains, which have a negative impact on their health and well-being. Spirituality can be a resource to mitigate the FCs’ burdens. The study aims to develop and evaluate a spiritual intervention for FCs. The evaluation will be conducted as a mixed methods study: a) the qualitative approach examines the FCs’ experiences with the intervention, and b) the quantitative randomised controlled intervention study examines the effect of the intervention on the FCs’ spiritual well-being, life satisfaction, and subjective distress. In the quantitative survey, 194 FCs will be surveyed and 20 FCs in the qualitative part. The data will be collected at various times and analysed qualitatively using the content analysis according to Mayring and quantitatively using statistical methods. The study will presumably start in May 2025 and continue until March 2027.

Zusammenfassung

Pflegende Angehörige leiden unter Mehrfachbelastungen, die sich negativ auf ihre Gesundheit und ihr Wohlbefinden auswirken. Spiritualität kann eine Ressource sein, um die Belastungen der pflegenden Angehörigen zu lindern. Ziel der Studie ist die Entwicklung und Evaluation einer spirituellen Intervention für pflegende Angehörige. Die Evaluation wird als Mixed-Methods-Studie durchgeführt: a) der qualitative Ansatz untersucht die Erfahrungen der pflegenden Angehörigen mit der Intervention, und b) die quantitative, randomisiert kontrollierte Interventionsstudie untersucht die Wirkung der Intervention auf das spirituelle Wohlbefinden, die Lebenszufriedenheit und der subjektiven Belastung der pflegenden Angehörigen. In der quantitativen Erhebung werden 194 pflegende Angehörige und im qualitativen Teil 20 pflegende Angehörige befragt. Die Daten werden zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten erhoben und qualitativ mit der Inhaltsanalyse nach Mayring und quantitativ mit statistischen Methoden ausgewertet. Die Studie wird voraussichtlich im Mai 2025 beginnen und bis März 2027 andauern.

Keywords: Family caregivers; home caregiving; spirituality; spiritual intervention; study protocol; mix-method; RCT; qualitative; DRKS00036594

Schlüsselwörter: Pflegende Angehörige; häusliche Pflege; Spiritualität; spirituelle Intervention; Studienprotokoll; Mix-Methode; RCT; qualitativ; DRKS00036594

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Rottendorf Foundation for appreciating the relevance of the topic and for supporting our study.

Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this study protocol and approved its submission.
Research funding: The Rottendorf Foundation promotes this study.
Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.

Literature

Berthold D, Zwingmann C (2022) Angehörige begleiten (Supporting family members). Spiritual Care 11:101-102.10.1515/spircare-2022-0002Search in Google Scholar

Benites AC, Rodin G, Leite ACAB, Nascimento LC, Santos MA (2021) The experience of spirituality in family caregivers of adult and elderly cancer patients receiving palliative care: a meta-synthesis. European Journal of Cancer Care 30:e13424.10.1111/ecc.13424Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Büscher A, Peters L, Stelzig S, Lübben A, Yalymova I (2023) Zu Hause pflegen – zwischen Wunsch und Wirklichkeit. Die VdK-Pflegestudie. Abschlussbericht (Caring at home – between wish and reality. The VdK care study. Final report) (Cite date: 05.03.2024), available at https://www. Vdk.de/assets/bundesverband/dokumente/publikationen_vdk/Pflegestudie_2021/VdK-Pflegestudie_Abschlussbericht_Februar_2023_inkl_Anhang.pdf.Search in Google Scholar

Casaleiro T, Caldeira S, Cardoso D, Apóstolo J (2022) Spiritual aspects of the family caregivers’ experiences when caring for a community-dwelling adult with severe mental illness: a systematic review of qualitative evidence. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 29:240–273.10.1111/jpm.12816Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Danucalov M, Kozasa E, Afonso R, Galduroz J, Leite J (2017) Yoga and compassion meditation program improve quality of life and self-compassion in family caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease patients: a randomized controlled trial. Geriatrics & Gerontology Internation 17:85–91.10.1111/ggi.12675Search in Google Scholar PubMed

FACIT (ed.) (2025) FACIT-Sp-12. Functional Assessment of chronic illness therapy-spiritual well-being 12 item scale (Cite date: 04.03.2025), available at https://www.facit.org/measures/facit-sp-12.Search in Google Scholar

Gräßel E, Berth H, Lichte T, Grau H (2014) Subjective caregiver burden: validity of the 10-item short version of the Burden Scale for family caregivers BSFC-s. BMC Geriatrics 14:e23.10.1186/1471-2318-14-23Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

Haußmann A (2019) Ambivalenz und Dynamik: Eine empirische Studie zu Religion in der häuslichen Pflege (Ambivalence and dynamics: An empirical study on religion in home care). Berlin: De Gruyter.10.1515/9783110632880Search in Google Scholar

Haußmann A (2022) Religion / Spiritualität in der häuslichen Pflege und konzeptionelle Überlegungen zur Begleitung pflegender Angehöriger (Religion / spirituality in home care and conceptual considerations for accompanying caring relatives). Spiritual Care 11:103–113.10.1515/spircare-2021-0061Search in Google Scholar

Helfferich C (2009) Die Qualität qualitativer Daten (The quality of qualitative data). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.10.1007/978-3-531-91858-7Search in Google Scholar

Janke S, Glöckner-Rist A (2012) Deutsche Version des Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) (German version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) (Cite date: 04.03.2025), available at https://www.da-ra.de/dara/study/web_show?res_id=295165&mdlang=de&detail=true.Search in Google Scholar

Jeong JS, González-Gómez D, Cañada-Cañada F (2016) Students’perceptions and emotions toward learning in a flipped general science classroom. Journal of Science Education and Technology 25:747–58.10.1007/s10956-016-9630-8Search in Google Scholar

Kardorff von E, Schönberger C (2020) Qualitative Evaluationsforschung (Qualitative evaluation research). In: Mey G, Mruck K (eds.) Handbuch Qualitative Forschung in der Psychologie (Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology). Heidelberg: Springer. 1–23.10.1007/978-3-658-18387-5_26-2Search in Google Scholar

Kuckartz U (2010) Einführung in die computergestützte Auswertung (Introduction to computer-guided analysis). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.Search in Google Scholar

Liu Z, Heffernan C, Tan J (2020) Caregiver burden: a concept analysis. International Journal of Nursing Sciences 7:438–445.10.1016/j.ijnss.2020.07.012Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

Mayring P, Fenzl T (2019) Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse (Qualitative content analysis). In: Baur N, Blasius J (eds.) Handbuch Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung (Handbook of empirical social research methods). Heidelberg: Springer. 633–648.10.1007/978-3-658-21308-4_42Search in Google Scholar

Müller R, Unger R, Rothgang H (2010) Reicht eine zweijährige Familien-Pflegezeit für Arbeitnehmer? Wie lange Angehörige zu Hause gepflegt werden (Is a two-year family care period sufficient for employees? How long relatives are cared for at home). Soziale Sicherheit 6–7:230–237.Search in Google Scholar

National Institute on Aging (2023) What is long-term care? (Cite date: 05.03.2024), available at https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/long-term-care/what-long-term-care.Search in Google Scholar

Puchalski C, Ferrell B (2010) Making health care whole. Integrating spirituality into patient care. Radnor: Templeton Foundation Press.Search in Google Scholar

Revenson T, Griva K, Luszczynska A, Morrison V, Panagopoulou E, Vilchinsky N, Hagedoorn M (ed.) (2016) Caregiving in the illness context. Palgrave Pivot. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137558985.10.1057/9781137558985Search in Google Scholar

Shabany M, NikbakhtNasrabadi A, Mohammadi N (2020) Family-centered empowerment process in individuals with spinal cord injury living in Iran: a grounded theory study. Spinal Cord 58:174–84.10.1038/s41393-019-0348-3Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Siler S, Mamier I, Winslow BW, Ferrell BR (2019) Interprofessional perspectives on providing spiritual care for patients with lung cancer in outpatient settings. Oncology Nursing Forum 46:49–58.10.1188/19.ONF.49-58Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

Statistisches Bundesamt (2024) Pflegebedürftige nach Versorgungsart, Geschlecht und Pflegegrade (People in need of care by type of care, gender, and level of care) (Cite date: 04.03.2025), available at https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Gesundheit/Pflege/Tabellen/pflegebeduerftige-pflegestufe.html.Search in Google Scholar

Wasner M (2007) Bedeutung von Spiritualität und Religiosität in der Palliativmedizin (The relevance of spirituality and religiosity in palliative care) (Cite date: 04.03.2025), available at https://d-nb.info/987858769/34.Search in Google Scholar

Weathers E, McCarthy G, Coffey A (2016) Concept analysis of spirituality: an evolutionary approach. Nursing Forum 51:79–96.10.1111/nuf.12128Search in Google Scholar PubMed

World Health Organization (2022) Long-term care (Cite date: 06.12.2024), available at https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/long-term-care.Search in Google Scholar

World Medical Association (2013) Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA 310:2191–2194.10.1001/jama.2013.281053Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Zhang J, Lee DTF (2017) Meaning in stroke family caregiving: a literature review. Geriatric Nursing 38:48–56.10.1016/j.gerinurse.2016.07.005Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Published Online: 2025-08-02

Published in Print: 2025-08-13

You are currently not able to access this content.

Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/spircare-2025-0046

Keywords for this article

Family caregivers; home caregiving; spirituality; spiritual intervention; study protocol; mix-method; RCT; qualitative; DRKS00036594