EM/PROTECT: Improving Depression in Elder Mistreatment Victims

Summary

The investigators developed EM/PROTECT, a behavioral intervention for depressed EM (elderly mistreatment) victims, to work in synergy with EM mistreatment resolution services that provide safety planning, support services, and links to legal services. PROTECT is built on a model which postulates that chronic stress promotes dysfunction of the cognitive control (CCN) and reward networks, impairing the victims' ability to flexibly respond to the environment and limits their reward activities. PROTECT therapists work with victims to develop action plans to reduce stress, and to increase rewarding experiences. EM/PROTECT has been designed in an iterative process with community EM providers of the New York City (NYC) Department for the Aging (DFTA) to use agencies' routine PHQ-9 depression screening and referral for service. In the current study, the investigators will compare the effectiveness of EM/PROTECT with EM enriched with staff training in linking EM victims to community mental health services (EM/MH). The investigators intend to enroll 80 subjects that will participate in the study for approximately 12 weeks.

Conditions

• Depression

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

EM/PROTECT

EM/PROTECT is a behavioral intervention for depressed elder mistreatment (EM) victims designed to work in synergy with EM mistreatment resolution services that provide safety planning, support services, and links to legal services

BEHAVIORAL

EM/MH

EM/MH provides individuals experiencing elder mistreatment with support services from staff trained in linking elder mistreatment victims to community mental health services.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• New York City Department for the Aging

  collaborator OTHER

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  collaborator NIH

• Weill Medical College of Cornell University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• George Alexopoulos, MD · Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian Hospital

• Jo Anne Sirey, PhD · Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

55 Years

Max Age

100 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-01-01

Primary Completion

2020-06-30

Completion

2020-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations