Abstract
This research tested if a 12-session coping improvement group intervention (n = 104) reduced depressive symptoms in HIV-infected older adults compared to an interpersonal support group intervention (n = 105) and an individual therapy upon request (ITUR) control condition (n = 86). Participants were 295 HIV-infected men and women 50-plus years of age living in New York City, Cincinnati, OH, and Columbus, OH. Using A-CASI assessment methodology, participants provided data on their depressive symptoms using the Geriatric Depression Screening Scale (GDS) at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 4- and 8-month follow-up. Whether conducted with all participants (N = 295) or only a subset of participants diagnosed with mild, moderate, or severe depressive symptoms (N = 171), mixed models analyses of repeated measures found that both coping improvement and interpersonal support group intervention participants reported fewer depressive symptoms than ITUR controls at post-intervention, 4-month follow-up, and 8-month follow-up. The effect sizes of the differences between the two active interventions and the control group were greater when outcome analyses were limited to those participants with mild, moderate, or severe depressive symptoms. At no assessment period did coping improvement and interpersonal support group intervention participants differ in depressive symptoms.
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Acknowledgments
The AIDS and Aging Research Group is comprised of the following individuals: Ohio site; Travis Lovejoy, M.A., Rewadee Watakakosol, M.A, David Cosio, M.A., Monica Silverthorn, M.S.W, and Robert Barcikowski, Ph.D..; New York site; Allyson Delorenzo, James Masten and Patrick Wilson. This research was funded by Grants R01-MH067568 (National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institute on Aging) and R01MH078749 (National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute of Nursing Research). No author is reporting a conflict of interest, financial or otherwise. We extend our appreciation to the many AIDS service organizations that collaborated on this study and to all study participants. We also thank John Markowitz, M.D. and Joseph Bianco, Ph.D. for reading an initial version of this manuscript.
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Clinical Trials Identifier: NCT00365690: “Effectiveness of a Telephone-Delivered Behavioral Treatment to Improve the Quality of Life of Older Adults With HIV”.
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Heckman, T.G., Sikkema, K.J., Hansen, N. et al. A randomized clinical trial of a coping improvement group intervention for HIV-infected older adults. J Behav Med 34, 102–111 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-010-9292-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-010-9292-6