Papers

Peer-reviewed International journal
2020

Effectiveness of peer counseling, social engagement, and combination interventions in improving depressive symptoms of community-dwelling Filipino senior citizens.

PloS one
  • Rogie Royce Carandang
  • ,
  • Akira Shibanuma
  • ,
  • Junko Kiriya
  • ,
  • Karen Rose Vardeleon
  • ,
  • Edward Asis
  • ,
  • Hiroshi Murayama
  • ,
  • Masamine Jimba

Volume
15
Number
4
First page
e0230770
Last page
Language
English
Publishing type
Research paper (scientific journal)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0230770

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about community-based interventions for geriatric depression in low-resource settings. This study assessed the effectiveness of 3-month-duration interventions with peer counseling, social engagement, and combination vs. control in improving depressive symptoms of community-dwelling Filipino senior citizens. METHODS: We conducted an open (non-blinded), non-randomized trial of senior citizens at risk for depression. Three different 3-month interventions included peer counseling (n = 65), social engagement (n = 66), and combination (n = 65) were compared with the control group (n = 68). We assessed geriatric depression, psychological resilience, perceived social support, loneliness, and working alliance scores at baseline and three months after the intervention. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03989284. RESULTS: Geriatric depression score over three months significantly improved in all intervention groups (control as reference). Significant improvements were also seen in psychological resilience and social support. Not all interventions, however, significantly improved the loneliness score. The combination group showed the largest effect of improving depressive symptoms (d = -1.33) whereas the social engagement group showed the largest effect of improving psychological resilience (d = 1.40), perceived social support (d = 1.07), and loneliness (d = -0.36) among senior citizens. CONCLUSION: At the community level, peer counseling, social engagement, and combination interventions were effective in improving depressive symptoms, psychological resilience, and social support among Filipino senior citizens. This study shows that it is feasible to identify senior citizens at risk for depression in the community and intervene effectively to improve their mental health. Further studies are required to target loneliness and investigate the long-term benefits of the interventions. CLINICAL TRIAL: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03989284.

Link information
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230770
PubMed
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32236104
PubMed Central
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7112231
ID information
  • DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0230770
  • Pubmed ID : 32236104
  • Pubmed Central ID : PMC7112231

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