Supportive-Expressive and Coping Group Teletherapies for HIV-Infected Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial

• Published in: AIDS and behavior 2013-11, Vol.17 (9), p.3034-3044
• Main Authors: Heckman, Timothy G., Heckman, Bernadette D., Anderson, Timothy, Lovejoy, Travis I., Mohr, David, Sutton, Mark, Bianco, Joseph A., Gau, Jen-Tzer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; Adaptation, Psychological; Age Factors; Clinical trials; Coping; Depression (Psychology); Depression - epidemiology; Depression - therapy; Elderly; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Geriatrics; Group Therapy; Health Psychology; HIV; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - psychology; HIV Infections - therapy; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Infectious Diseases; Male; Medical Research; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - therapy; Mental Health Services; Middle Aged; Older people; Original Paper; Psychotherapy, Group - methods; Public Health; Self Efficacy; Social Isolation - psychology; Social Support; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - therapy; Surveys and Questionnaires; Telecommunications; Telemedicine; Telephone; Telephone hotlines; Training; Treatment Outcome; United States - epidemiology
• ISSN: 1090-7165; 1573-3254
• DOI: 10.1007/s10461-013-0441-0

This clinical trial tested whether telephone-administered supportive-expressive group therapy or coping effectiveness training reduce depressive symptoms in HIV-infected older adults. Participants from 24 states ( N  = 361) completed the Geriatric Depression Scale at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 4- and 8-month follow-up and were randomized to one of three study arms: (1) 12 weekly sessions of telephone-administered, supportive-expressive group therapy (tele-SEGT; n  = 122); (2) 12 weekly sessions of telephone-administered, coping effectiveness training (tele-CET; n  = 118); or (3) a standard of care (SOC) control group ( n  = 121). Tele-SEGT participants reported fewer depressive symptoms than SOC controls at post-intervention (M SEGT  = 11.9, M SOC  = 14.3) and 4- (M SEGT  = 12.5, M SOC  = 14.4) and 8-month follow-up (M SEGT  = 12.7, M SOC  = 14.5) and fewer depressive symptoms than tele-CET participants at post-intervention (M SEGT  = 12.4, M CET  = 13.6) and 8-month follow-up (M SEGT  = 12.7, M CET  = 14.1). Tele-CET participants reported no statistically significant differences from SOC controls in GDS values at any assessment period. Tele-SEGT constitutes an efficacious treatment to reduce depressive symptoms in HIV-infected older adults.