Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2016 Jul;84(7):651-7.
doi: 10.1037/ccp0000103. Epub 2016 Apr 7.

The efficacy of behavioral activation treatment among depressed Spanish-speaking Latinos

Anahí Collado  1 , Marilyn Calderón  2 , Laura MacPherson  3 , Carl Lejuez  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The efficacy of behavioral activation treatment among depressed Spanish-speaking Latinos

Anahí Collado et al. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2016 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is highly prevalent among U.S. Spanish-speaking Latinos, but the lack of empirically supported treatments precludes this population's access to quality mental health care.

Method: Following the promising results of an open-label trial of the Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD) among Spanish-speaking Latinos, the authors conducted a randomized control trial (RCT; N = 46) that compared BATD to supportive counseling. Study outcomes included depression, BATD proposed mechanisms of change, and nonspecific psychotherapy factors.

Results: Relative to supportive counseling, BATD led to greater decreases in depressive symptoms over time (p = .04) and greater MDD remission at the end of treatment (p = .01). Activity level (p = .01) and environmental reward (p = .05) showed greater increases over time among those who received BATD compared to supportive counseling. Treatment adherence, therapeutic alliance, and treatment satisfaction did not differ between the groups over time (ps > 0.17). The 1-month follow-up suggested sustained clinical gains across therapies.

Conclusions: The current study adds to a growing treatment literature and provides support that BATD is efficacious in reducing depression and increasing activity level and environmental reward in the largest, yet historically underserved U.S. ethnic minority population. This trial sets the stage for a larger RCT that evaluates the transportability and generalizability of BATD in an effectiveness trial. (PsycINFO Database Record

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) flowchart of study participants, randomization, treatment, follow-ups, and inclusion analyses. BATD: Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression; SC: Supportive Counseling; MDD: Major Depressive Disorder; BDI: Beck Depression Inventory.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Barraca J, Pérez-Álvarez M, Bleda JHL. Avoidance and activation as keys to depression: Adaptation of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale in a Spanish sample. The Spanish journal of psychology. 2011;14:998–1009. - PubMed
    1. Beck AT, Steer RA, Brown GK. Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory. 2nd. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation; 1996.
    1. Bedregal L, Paris M, Añez L, Shahar G, Davidson L. Preliminary Evaluation of the Validity and Reliability of the Spanish Version of the Therapeutic Alliance with Clinician (TAC) Questionnaire. Social Indicators Research. 2006;78:19–32.
    1. Blanco C, Patel SR, Liu L, Jiang H, Lewis-Fernández R, Schmidt AB, et al. National trends in ethnic disparities in mental health care. Medical Care. 2007;45(11):1012–1019. - PubMed
    1. Cabassa LJ, Lester R, Zayas LH. ‘It’s like being in a labyrinth:’ Hispanic immigrants’ perceptions of depression and attitudes toward treatments. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. 2007;9:1–16. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types