Highlights
- •What is the primary question addressed by this study?—Is a behavioral intervention that targets sleep, meals, and physical activity feasible and acceptable to older spousally bereaved adults who are at high risk for major depressive disorder.
- •What is the main finding of this study?—We observed high levels of adherence in both intervention arms (90%–92%); and 88% of participants were retained. In linear mixed-effects models, findings indicated a significant reduction in depression symptoms, but a test of the interaction between time and intervention was not significant.
- •What is the meaning of the finding?—A behavioral intervention that uses both digital monitoring and motivational health coaching is feasible and acceptable to older bereaved adult, with resulting improvement in symptoms of depression
Abstract
Objectives
To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a behavioral intervention and explore
its impact on depression symptom burden among older spousally-bereaved adults.
Methods
Participants were age ≥60 years, bereaved ≤8 months, and at high risk for depression.
Participants were randomized to 12 weeks of digital monitoring of sleep, meals, and
physical activity; digital monitoring plus health coaching; or enhanced usual care
and followed for 9 months for new-episode depression.
Results
We enrolled 57 participants, 85% of eligible adults and 38% of all adults screened.
We observed high levels of adherence in both digital monitoring (90%) and health coaching
(92%); 88% of participants were retained. In linear mixed-effects models, depression
symptoms significantly decreased, but the interaction between time and intervention
was not significant.
Conclusion
A behavioral intervention that uses both digital monitoring and motivational health
coaching is feasible and acceptable to older bereaved adults.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 08, 2020
Accepted:
February 24,
2020
Received in revised form:
February 24,
2020
Received:
October 15,
2019
Footnotes
Clinical Trials ID: NCT02631291
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
