“Where-There-Is-No-Psychiatrist Integrated Personal Therapy” among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Pilot Study

Shefaly Shorey, Ee Heok Kua, Wilson Tam, Valerie Chan, Yong Shian Goh, Hong Meng Lim, Lina Hsiu Kim Lim, Cheong Sing Tian and Rathi Mahendran
Additional contact information
Shefaly Shorey: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
Ee Heok Kua: Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
Wilson Tam: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
Valerie Chan: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
Yong Shian Goh: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
Hong Meng Lim: Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117593, Singapore
Lina Hsiu Kim Lim: Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117593, Singapore
Cheong Sing Tian: Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
Rathi Mahendran: Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: In Singapore, many older adults suffer from subsyndromal depression and/or subsyndromal anxiety, which can negatively impact their physical and mental well-being if left untreated. Due to the general public’s reluctance to seek psychological help and the low psychiatrist-to-population ratio in Singapore, this study aims to examine the preliminary efficacy, perceptions, and acceptability of a trained volunteer-led community-based intervention on community-dwelling older adults. Twenty-one participants (control: n = 11; intervention: n = 10) completed the randomized pilot study. A mixed-methods approach (questionnaires, semistructured interviews, examining blood samples, intervention fidelity) was adopted. No significant differences were found between the intervention and the control groups in depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, friendship, and quality of life. However, there was a positive change in quality-of-life scores from baseline to 6 months in the intervention group. The control group had significantly higher cortisol levels and lower annexin-A1 levels at 6 months, while the intervention group did not. Three themes emerged from the interviews: (1) impact of the intervention on older adults’ well-being, (2) attitudes toward intervention, and (3) a way forward. However, intervention efficacy could not be established due to small sample size caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Future randomized controlled trials should evaluate volunteer-led, technology-based psychosocial interventions to support these older adults.

Keywords: solution-focused brief therapy; older adults; mental health; mindfulness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9514/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9514/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9514-:d:632187

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().