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. 2023 Sep 9;12(18):5872.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12185872.

Efficacy of a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for the Prevention of Depression in Nonprofessional Caregivers Administered through a Smartphone App: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Fernando L Vázquez  1 , Vanessa Blanco  2 , Isabel Hita  1 , Ángela J Torres  3 , Patricia Otero  4 , Mario Páramo  5 , Mar Salmerón  1
Affiliations

Efficacy of a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for the Prevention of Depression in Nonprofessional Caregivers Administered through a Smartphone App: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Fernando L Vázquez et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Due to the limited availability of in-person interventions for caregivers, the development of effective programs that use new technologies to prevent depression is needed. The goal of this research was to assess the efficacy of a cognitive behavioral intervention for the prevention of depression, administered to nonprofessional caregivers through a smartphone application (app). One hundred and seventy-five caregivers were randomly assigned to either an app-based cognitive behavioral intervention (CBIA), the CBIA intervention plus a telephone conference call (CBIA + CC), or an attention control group (ACG). At post-intervention, the incidence of depression was lower in the CBIA and CBIA + CC compared to the ACG (1.7% and 0.0% vs. 7.9%, respectively). The absolute risk, relative risk, and number needed to treat compared to the ACG were 6.2%, 21.6%, and 16 for the CBIA, whilst they were 8%, 0.0%, and 13 for the CBIA + CC. Depressive symptomatology was significantly lower in the CBIA and CBIA + CC compared to the ACG (d = 0.84, Cliff's δ = 0.49; d = 1.56, Cliff's δ = 0.72), as well as in the CBIA + CC compared to the CBIA (d = 0.72, Cliff's δ = 0.44). The prevention of depression was more likely in participants who received the CBIA, and adding the conference call in the CBIA + CC group improved the likelihood of this.

Keywords: app; caregiver; cognitive behavioral; depression; prevention; randomized controlled trial; smartphone.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CONSORT 2010 flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evolution of depressive symptoms in the three groups. Note: Box plot showing the evolution of depressive symptoms in the three groups. The mean and 95% confidence interval for the CES-D score are shown in a white color inside a box. The long dashed and dotted lines represent, respectively, significant differences within or between groups (***: p-value < 0.001).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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