HIGHLIGHTS
- •What is the primary question addressed by this study? Do components of social isolation including marital status, percieved social support and interpersonal problems predict change in depression severity over the course of a brief adherence intervention for older adults?
- •What is the main finding of this study? Our analyses showed that being married and reporting greater social support and less interpersonal problems predicted greater treatment benefits over time.
- •What is the meaning of the finding? Social variables may reduce older adults' vulnerability to depression and enhance their ability to benefit from treatment.
ABSTRACT
Objective
Social isolation is highly common in late life and is associated with devastating
mental health and physical outcomes. This study investigated whether components of
social isolation (marital status, perceived social support, and interpersonal problems)
predict change in depression severity over the course of a brief adherence intervention
delivered in a primary care setting.
Method
A sample of 189 older adults with major depressive disorder were randomized to either
an adherence intervention, “Treatment Initiation Program,” or treatment as usual.
Marital status, perceived social support and interpersonal problems were assessed
at baseline. A mixed-effects regression was used to test whether these factors predicted
the change trajectory in depression severity over 24 weeks.
Results
Being married (F(2,176) = 6.60; p = 0.001), reporting higher perceived social support
(F(2,177) = 4.70; p = 0.01), and fewer interpersonal problems (F(2, 176) = 4.34; p = 0.01)
predicted lower depression severity on average over the course of 24 weeks.
Conclusion
Social variables such as living in partnership, perceiving others as supportive, and
reporting few interpersonal problems may reduce older adults’ vulnerability to depression
and enhance their ability to benefit from treatment. These findings can guide development
of interventions that will target these social factors early in treatment to increase
efficacy.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 21, 2020
Accepted:
December 12,
2020
Received in revised form:
December 11,
2020
Received:
September 8,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
