Effectiveness of a Village-based Intervention for Depression in Community-dwelling Older Adults: a Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

OBJECTIVES: To examine the feasibility and effectiveness of a village-based multilevel intervention for late-life depression, focusing on strengthening the autonomy of village-dwellers with help from the community mental health service (CMHS). DESIGN: A community-based randomized trial with participants (all village-dwellers) assigned to two parallel programs: intervention program or the CMHS's usual care. SETTING: Two small villages in a rural area of South Korea PARTICIPANTS: All older adults (aged ≥65 years) living in the two villages were included in the intervention or the CMHS's usual care, and the effectiveness of the program was examined using representative samples who were age- and sex-stratified randomly selected from both groups. INTERVENTION: A 12-week intervention was comprised of individual-based risk-stratified case management and group-based activities. MEASUREMENTS: The Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale-Short form (SGDS-K) was used as the primary outcome while depressive episodes, suicidal ideation/plans/attempts, social network, functional status, and global cognitive function were measured as secondary outcomes.