Effectiveness of a self-management support program on caregiving competencies in family caregivers

Abstract

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of disability worldwide, and family caregivers play a central role in home care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program designed to strengthen caregiving competencies in family caregivers.

Materials and Methods: A pilot quasi-experimental study with pre- and post-intervention measurements was conducted with seven family caregivers from a health institution in Tamaulipas, Mexico, selected through purposive sampling. The intervention consisted of the program “Working Together in Collaboration,” designed to develop self-management skills and caregiving competencies. The CUIDAR short version instrument was used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for related samples, with a significance level set at p < .05. Effect size (r) was calculated from the Z statistic.

Results: In the overall assessment, the proportion of participants classified at a high level increased from 71.4% to 100%, although this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = .090); however, a large effect size was observed (r = 0.64). Significant differences were identified in the knowledge (p = .039; r = 0.78) and relationship/social interaction (p = .039; r = 0.78) dimensions, both demonstrating large effect sizes.

Conclusion: The program showed improvements in specific dimensions of caregiving competence, particularly in cognitive and relational domains. Further studies with larger sample sizes and controlled designs are needed to confirm and expand these findings.