The Health and Social Consequences of Depression Among the Elderly

National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Depression; Functional Impairment

Treatments: Behavioral: CBT; Behavioral: Group Activities

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05856552

23003

Details and patient eligibility

About

Mental illnesses often go undiagnosed or untreated in low-income settings. Mental health care may be especially important for the elderly - events in the lives of the elderly, like illnesses or deaths of peers, may put these individuals at high risk of mental illness. The study will constitute a randomized controlled trial aimed at reducing depression among elderly women. Through two interventions, the investigators will aim to improve women elder's outlook on life and relationships through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and facilitated group activities. There will be a total of four treatment arms: one for CBT during home visits, one for facilitated group activities, one for both, and a control group receiving neither the CBT nor facilitated group activities. All activities will be delivered by lay government community volunteers. Randomization for group activities will be at the village level, and randomization for CBT will be at the individual-level within each village. Investigators will track outcomes of the elderly at two points in time: immediately after the main 12-week intervention period and 6 months after the main intervention period.

Enrollment: 5,370 estimated patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 55+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• At least 55 years of age
• Women

Exclusion criteria

• Those with hearing, speech or mental impairment

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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5,370 participants in 4 patient groups

CBT home visits

Experimental group

Description:

Community resource persons will visit the elderly women once per week to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy for six weeks, followed by 3 monthly boosters. For half the experimental sample, the boosters will be an ongoing monthly intervention beyond the initial 6-week period.

Treatment:

Behavioral: CBT

CBT home visits and group activities

Experimental group

Description:

Community resource persons will visit the elderly women once per week to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy for six weeks, followed by 3 monthly boosters. The elderly women will also be invited to join weekly hour-long group activities for 12 weeks. Group activities will be administered by community resource persons in community spaces. For half of the experimental sample, the group activities will be an ongoing weekly intervention beyond the initial 12-week period, and the CBT booster sessions will be administered monthly after the initial 6-week period.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Group Activities

Behavioral: CBT

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Control group

Group activities

Experimental group

Description:

The elderly women will be invited to join weekly hour-long group activities for 12 weeks. Group activities will be administered by community resource persons in community spaces. For half of the experimental sample, the group activities will be an ongoing weekly intervention beyond the initial 12-week period.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Group Activities