Beat the Blues: Treating Depression in African American Elders

NCT ID: NCT00511680

Last Updated: 2012-08-08

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE3

Total Enrollment

192 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2008-09-30

Study Completion Date

2012-06-30

Brief Summary

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The specific primary aims of the study are to:

1. Test the immediate effect of the intervention at 4-months on depression in urban African American older adults (primary trial outcome; between group comparison). Hypothesis: Participants in the intervention group will report fewer depressive symptoms in comparison to control group participants receiving usual care.
2. Test the maintenance effect of the intervention at 8-months on depression (within group comparison). Hypothesis: Participants in the intervention group will maintain reduced symptom presentation from 4 to 8 months.
3. Evaluate acceptability (social validity) of the intervention and extent of engagement in activities by study participants (both intervention and wait-list control subjects).

A secondary aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial embedded in a community service setting and its dissemination using a community-academic partnership. We also propose three exploratory aims. First, we seek to evaluate the mechanisms of action, or pathways, by which treatment gains are obtained (Gitlin et al., 2000). Given that behavioral activation represents conceptually the key active ingredient of the proposed intervention, we plan to evaluate its mediational effect. Second, we seek to evaluate whether the intervention has a differential treatment effect based on a study participant's gender, age, and living arrangement (alone or with others). Given that previous research suggests that participant characteristics may moderate depressive symptoms and treatment outcomes, these exploratory analyses will provide insight as to whether this particular treatment benefits some groups more than others. Third, we seek to evaluate whether the intervention has short and long-term effects on quality of life, functional difficulty, and self-efficacy to manage day-to-day tasks. Previous research has shown that depressive symptoms exacerbate functional decline such that minimizing distress may have the added value of enhancing function and perceived efficacy for this group over time.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Depression Stress Reduction Behavioral Activation Treatment

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Investigators

Study Groups

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Behavioral based In-home Intervention

This group will recieve up to 10 1-hour sessions over a 4 month period.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral Based In-Home Intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The 10 session intervention delivered by a social worker in the home includes five treatment components (education, referral, care management, stress reduction, behavioral activation). Each component has been shown to be effective in treating depression in previous research.

Interventions

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Behavioral Based In-Home Intervention

The 10 session intervention delivered by a social worker in the home includes five treatment components (education, referral, care management, stress reduction, behavioral activation). Each component has been shown to be effective in treating depression in previous research.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* African American
* ≥55 years of age
* English speaking
* Cognitively intact (MMSE \>24)
* Depressed as measured by a score ≥5 on the PHQ-9
* Must have a telephone
* Planning to live in the area for 8 months

Exclusion Criteria

* Not African American
* \<55 years of age
* Does not speak English
* MMSE\<24
* Not depressed as measures by a score of \<5 on the PHQ-9
* Does not have a telephone
* Does not plan to live in the area for 8 months
Minimum Eligible Age

55 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Thomas Jefferson University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Laura N. Gitlin

Director, Center for Innovative Care in Aging

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Laura N. Gitlin, Ph.D

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Johns Hopkins University

Locations

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Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Gitlin LN, Harris LF, McCoy MC, Hess E, Hauck WW. Delivery Characteristics, Acceptability, and Depression Outcomes of a Home-based Depression Intervention for Older African Americans: The Get Busy Get Better Program. Gerontologist. 2016 Oct;56(5):956-65. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnv117. Epub 2015 Nov 25.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 26608333 (View on PubMed)

Gitlin LN, Szanton SL, Huang J, Roth DL. Factors mediating the effects of a depression intervention on functional disability in older African Americans. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014 Dec;62(12):2280-7. doi: 10.1111/jgs.13156.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 25516024 (View on PubMed)

Gitlin LN, Roth DL, Huang J. Mediators of the impact of a home-based intervention (beat the blues) on depressive symptoms among older African Americans. Psychol Aging. 2014 Sep;29(3):601-11. doi: 10.1037/a0036784.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 25244479 (View on PubMed)

Gitlin LN, Harris LF, McCoy MC, Chernett NL, Pizzi LT, Jutkowitz E, Hess E, Hauck WW. A home-based intervention to reduce depressive symptoms and improve quality of life in older African Americans: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2013 Aug 20;159(4):243-52. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-159-4-201308200-00005.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 24026257 (View on PubMed)

Jutkowitz E, Pizzi L, Hess E, Suh DC, Gitlin LN. Comparison of three societally derived health-state classification values among older African Americans with depressive symptoms. Qual Life Res. 2013 Aug;22(6):1491-8. doi: 10.1007/s11136-012-0263-y. Epub 2012 Sep 13.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 22972437 (View on PubMed)

Gitlin LN, Harris LF, McCoy M, Chernett NL, Jutkowitz E, Pizzi LT; Beat the Blues Team. A community-integrated home based depression intervention for older African Americans: [corrected] description of the Beat the Blues randomized trial and intervention costs. BMC Geriatr. 2012 Feb 10;12:4. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-12-4.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 22325065 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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1R01MH079814

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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