N/A N=186 Randomized Basic Science

Technology and Family Thriving Study

Alzheimer Disease · Dementia · Caregiver Burnout · Quality of Life · Mental Health Wellness 1

Bottom Line

View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05150990 ↗

Enrolled (actual)

186

Serious AEs

0.0%

Results posted

Jul 2025

Primary outcome: Primary: Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) - Changes From Baseline (Older Adult) — 3.04; 3.00; 2.85; 2.94 score on a scale

Study Design & Population

Study type: Interventional
Phase: N/A
Interventions: Virtual Reality (Behavioral); Video Chat (Behavioral)
Age: Adult, Older Adult · 18+ yrs
Sex: All
Sponsor: University of California, Santa Barbara
Primary completion: Mar 2024

Outcome Measures

Outcome	Result	p-value
PRIMARY Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) - Changes From Baseline (Older Adult)	3.04; 3.00; 2.85; 2.94; 3.08; 2.98	—
PRIMARY Brief Inventory of Thriving (BIT) - Changes From Baseline (Older Adult)	3.97; 3.90; 3.63; 3.69; 4.00; 3.89	—
PRIMARY Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) - Changes From Baseline (Older Adult)	3.72; 3.73; 3.20; 3.18; 3.76; 3.65	—
PRIMARY Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) - Changes From Baseline (Older Adult)	1.95; 2.73; 3.20; 2.82; 1.81; 3.20	—
PRIMARY Mental Health Inventory (MHI) - Changes From Baseline (Older Adult)	5.22; 4.88; 4.81; 5.06; 5.19; 5.08	—
PRIMARY Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (Short Form) - Changes From Baseline (Older Adult)	1.98; 1.86; 1.96; 1.81; 1.71; 1.73	—
PRIMARY Unidimensional Relationship Closeness Scale - Changes From Baseline (Older Adult)	5.94; 6.29; 6.07; 5.78; 6.28; 6.39	—
PRIMARY Relationship Satisfaction - Changes From Baseline (Older Adult)	4.92; 5.17; 4.88; 4.99; 5.11; 4.24	—
PRIMARY Communal Coping - Changes From Baseline (Older Adult)	3.91; 3.94; 3.89; 3.93; 3.99; 3.98	—
PRIMARY Brief Inventory of Thriving (BIT) - Changes From Baseline (Adult Child)	4.04; 4.22; 4.15; 4.02; 4.18; 4.31	—
PRIMARY Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale Revised Short Form (CESD-R-10) - Changes From Baseline (Adult Child)	0.57; 0.42; .48; 0.53; 0.48; 0.33	—
PRIMARY Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) - Changes From Baseline (Adult Child)	3.99; 3.75; 3.56; 3.58; 3.51; 3.89	—
PRIMARY Mental Health Inventory (MHI) - Changes From Baseline (Adult Child)	4.88; 5.05; 4.98; 4.95; 4.96; 5.02	—
PRIMARY Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) - Changes From Baseline (Adult Child)	2.13; 1.89; 2.17; 2.02; 1.97; 1.89	—
PRIMARY Caregiver Guilt/Grief Scale - Changes From Baseline (Adult Child)	1.77; 2.00; 2.15; 1.99; 1.74; 1.99	—
PRIMARY Relational Burnout/Load Scale - Changes From Baseline (Adult Child)	1.80; 1.82; 1.95; 1.89; 1.76; 1.87	—
PRIMARY Unidimensional Relationship Closeness Scale - Changes From Baseline (Adult Child)	5.36; 5.80; 5.58; 5.67; 5.84; 5.78	—
PRIMARY Relationship Satisfaction - Changes From Baseline (Adult Child)	4.38; 4.35; 4.08; 4.17; 4.70; 4.41	—
PRIMARY Communal Coping - Changes From Baseline (Adult Child)	3.31; 3.39; 3.24; 3.12; 3.56; 3.46	—
SECONDARY Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) - Technology Sessions	—	—
SECONDARY Social and Conversational Engagement - Technology Sessions	—	—
SECONDARY Relationship Satisfaction and Communication Quality - Technology Sessions	—	—
SECONDARY Telepresence and Copresence - Technology Session	—	—

Summary

The purpose of this project is to test the impact of different forms of technology (virtual reality vs. video chat) on quality of life and family relationships in older adults who reside in senior living communities and an adult child who lives at a distance. The study will also investigate whether responses to the technology and quality of life outcomes depend on older adults' level of cognitive impairment.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria for older adults:

Must reside in one of the senior living communities participating in the study
at least 50 years old
Fluent in English or Spanish
Have MCI or mild to moderate AD/ADRD
Mini-mental state examination (MMSE-2) score between 13 and 27
Have an adult child who lives at least 45 minutes driving distance from the community and is willing to participate with them
Do not have an overly negative, aggressive, or abusive relationship with this adult child

Inclusion Criteria for adult children:

At least 18 years old
Fluent in English or Spanish,
Live at least 45 minutes driving distance from the residential community
Do not have an overly negative, aggressive, or abusive relationship with their parent

Exclusion Criteria

Severe AD/ADRD (MMSE-2 score < 13)
History of seizure, severe vertigo, hallucinations, or aggression
Severe visual impairment (screening will be conducted to determine if vision is sufficient to participate)

View full record on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05150990). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.