Experience with an online positive psychology intervention for caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease: an interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Purpose: Considering the distress experienced by caregivers, numerous support systems have been devised. Recently, interventions focused on positive psychology have resulted in beneficial effects for caregivers. This study aimed to investigate the experience of caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease with an online positive psychology intervention.

Methods: To understand caregivers' experiences of an 8-week positive psychology intervention, 10 participants participated in a semistructured individual interview. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was carried out on the interviews.

Results: Three themes were identified. [1] Engaging half-heartedly: Positive psychology was initially perceived as an unknown and caregivers expressed their scepticism before gradually integrating the intervention into their daily routine. [2] Letting yourself be destabilized: Caregivers went through an uncomfortable phase, becoming aware of their overprotective or controlling behaviours and the consequences of their psychological distress. [3] A springboard to change: Several realizations resulted in changes, such as reactivating internal resources and cultivating a more balanced outlook with less focus on the illness of the care receiver and the caregiving situation.

Conclusions: The results show that caregivers were completely autonomous during the online intervention and engaged in the processes promoted by positive psychology, which supports further development of online resources for caregivers.