Alzheimer’s Family Caregivers: Psychological Experience and Support Needs Survey

[Nico Stanculescu]

The following describes a research study conducted by Dr. Kirk Warren Brown, Principal Investigator, in the Department of Psychology, and Dr. Connie Coogle, Co-Principal Investigator, in the Virginia Center on Aging, both of Virginia Commonwealth University.
The study is a survey of the psychological needs of family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s Disease. Your participation is highly valued. The findings of the survey will be used to help develop a new support program for caregivers who are family members (spouse, sibling, child, parent, or other relative) of a person with Alzheimer’s.

If you are at least 18 years of age and wish to participate, please complete the survey that will display on your computer station after you click the “Access Survey” button below. You do not need to acknowledge your willingness to participate.

The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. We would like you to answer all the questions, but you may skip any questions that you don’t feel comfortable answering. Also, your responses will not be saved and recorded until you click the “Submit your survey” button at the end of the survey. This means that the survey must be completed in one sitting.

We will not tell anyone the answers you give us; however, information from the study may be looked at or copied for research or legal purposes by Virginia Commonwealth University. Your responses, however, will never be linked to you personally. All survey responses that you provide will be completely anonymous and we will not have any way to link your answers back to you. All survey information will be stored using randomly generated identification numbers. What we find from this study may be presented at meetings or published in papers, but your name will not ever be used in these presentations or papers.

You can be entered into a lottery to win one of 5 prizes of $10 Amazon.com gift cards after completing this survey. You can also request a copy of the survey findings. To be entered into the lottery and/or to receive the survey findings, your name and contact information (e-mail or postal mail address) will be required at the end of the survey. However your name and contact information will not be linked with your survey responses, nor will we share your name or contact information with anyone for any reason. The only individuals who will have access to the data are trained study personnel.

There are minimal risks to you by filling out the survey. This survey concerns the psychological support needs of Alzheimer’s family caregivers. You will be asked to answer questions that are no more personal than those pertaining to your psychological experiences of caregiving, interests in various support program features, and basic demographic characteristics. The risks are not greater than the risks associated with daily living. There is an opportunity for you to gain some psychological insight into your caregiving experience and behavior and completing the survey will help us design a good quality support program that better meets the psychological needs of Alzheimer’s family caregivers.

Participation in this study is voluntary. If you choose to participate, you may stop at any time without any penalty. You will receive opportunity to enter the lottery whether you complete the survey or not.

For more information concerning this research you should contact Dr. Brown by e-mail at [e-mail] or by postal mail at Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 806 W. Franklin St., Richmond, VA, 23284. If you have any questions about your rights as a participant in this study, or you have general questions, concerns, or complaints about the research, you may contact: Office for Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 East Leigh Street, Suite 113, P.O. Box 980568, Richmond, VA, 23298. Telephone: [phone].

Before continuing, you may wish to print a copy of this page for your personal record-keeping.


Yes, I am at least 18 years old, I have read and understand this Information Form, and I am ready to participate.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS SURVEY