Effect of online mental health education for subthreshold depression in elderly individuals
10.3760/cma.j.cn115624-20250313-00228
- VernacularTitle:网络心理健康教育对老年人阈下抑郁的干预效果
- Author:
Xiuli LIU
1
;
Yuchen YING
1
;
Xiaoling HUANG
1
Author Information
1. 宁波卫生职业技术学院“健康宁波”研究基地，宁波315100
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Aged;
Psychology, educational;
Subthreshold depression;
Intervention;
Health promotion
- From:
Chinese Journal of Health Management
2025;19(7):561-566
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To evaluate the interventional effect of online mental health education for subthreshold depression (SD) in elderly individuals.Methods:Using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, a total of 105 older adults with SD were recruited from 6 long-term care (LTC) settings in Ningbo city between September and November in 2023. The subjects were randomized to a intervention group (35 cases), a control group (35 cases) and a waiting list group (35 cases) in a 1∶1∶1 ratio using a random number generator. The intervention method was mental health education, comprising basic knowledge of depressive symptoms, knowledge and skills of cognitive therapy, knowledge and skills of behavioral therapy and life education for the elderly. The intervention group received online mental health education, while the control group was given face-to-face mental health education. After the intervention group and control group have completed the intervention and post-intervention data collection, the waiting list group would choose either online or face-to-face mental health education independently based on personal preference. The 3 groups received identical interventions with a 4-week duration. During the intervention and follow-up periods, 7 cases dropped out, resulting in 34 cases in the intervention group, 31 in the control group, and 33 in the waiting list group being included in the final analysis. The 3 groups were checked-up with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) at baseline, post-intervention and 6-month follow-up. One-way ANOVA and χ2 tests were employed to compare the baseline characteristics across the 3 groups. Mixed-effects model for repeated measures were employed to compare mean between-group differences and mean changes for each group at each time point, with the specific aim of analyzing the intervention effect of online mental health education for SD in older adults. Results:There was no statistically significant differences in the baseline characteristics among the 3 groups (all P>0.05). The time × group interaction effects of CES-D, PHQ-9, and GAD-7 scores were significant across 3 groups ( Finteraction=6.58, 7.24, 8.42) (all P<0.01). Further pairwise comparisons revealed that the CES-D, PHQ-9, and GAD-7 scores in the intervention group were all significantly lower than those in the waiting list group [(14.36±4.56) vs (15.51±3.21), (5.13±2.46) vs (7.20±2.62), (4.63±2.41) vs (7.13±2.42)], and all significantly lower than those in the control group [(14.36±4.56) vs (15.53±3.19), (5.13±2.46) vs (6.32±2.57), (4.63±2.41) vs (6.23±2.41)] at post-intervention (all P<0.05). The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores in the intervention group were both significantly lower than those in the control group [(4.62±2.35) vs (6.23±2.20), (4.72±2.38) vs (6.26±2.32)] at 6-month follow-up (both P<0.001). Conclusion:Online mental health education may alleviate depressive and anxiety symptoms among older adults with SD, and it may be equally effective as face-to-face mental health education.
