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Clinical Trial
. 2017 Oct;25(10):1109-1119.
doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2017.04.015. Epub 2017 May 3.

Harnessing Peer Support in an Online Intervention for Older Adults with Depression

Kathryn N Tomasino  1 , Emily G Lattie  2 , Joyce Ho  2 , Hannah L Palac  2 , Susan M Kaiser  2 , David C Mohr  2
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Harnessing Peer Support in an Online Intervention for Older Adults with Depression

Kathryn N Tomasino et al. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of two methods of delivering a cognitive behaviorally informed Internet intervention for depression for adults 65 years and older.

Methods: Forty-seven participants were enrolled and assigned to receive one of two versions of the Internet intervention, either delivered individually (III) or with peer support (II+PS), or to a wait list control group (WLC). Primary outcomes included change in depressive symptoms from baseline to post-intervention (week 8), site use, self-reported usability, and coach time. Secondary outcomes included measures of social support and isolation and anxiety.

Results: Follow-up data were provided by 85.1% (40 of 47) of enrolled participants. There were significant differences in depression change across groups (F(2,37) = 3.81, p = 0.03). Greater reductions in depressive symptoms were found for the III (p = 0.02) and II+PS (p = 0.03) compared with WLC, and significantly less coach time was required in the II+PS (p = 0.003).

Conclusions: These results highlight the potential of cognitive-behaviorally informed Internet interventions for older adults with depression, and indicate that peer-supported programs are both acceptable and equivalent to individually delivered Internet interventions. Including peer support may be a viable and potentially more cost-effective option for disseminating online treatments for depression for older adults.

Keywords: Depression; internet interventions; online; peer support; technology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: No disclosures to report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant flow through the study.
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