Internet Delivered Psychotherapy for Older Adults

Summary

The goal of this mixed-methods, single-arm intervention study is to develop and evaluate a new internet-delivered psychotherapy option called Ger-iPST in older adults with symptoms of depression.

The overall aim of this project is to improve access to psychotherapy for older adults by developing, adapting and implementing a new internet-based treatment option, Ger-iPST. Towards this aim, our objectives are to:

1. Examine the preliminary effectiveness of Ger-iPST for symptoms of depression.
2. Examine barriers and facilitators to the use of Ger-iPST.

Participants will be asked to complete 8 weekly online therapy modules (Ger-iPST) through the Online Psycho Therapy Tool (OPTT); each module takes 45-60 minutes, and an extra 20-30 on weekly homework. Caregivers will be invited to assist participants if required.

Homework exercises are submitted through the platform, and a clinician trained in PST l will provide personalized, asynchronous online feedback. Participants will receive a weekly phone call from a research assistant to support any technical issues with completing the online modules. Following completion of the Ger-iPST modules, participants will be interviewed to provide feedback on acceptability and barriers and facilitators to the use of Ger-iPST.

Conditions

• Depression in Old Age
• Depression, Anxiety

Interventions

OTHER

Problem-Solving Therapy for Older Adults

Problem-Solving Therapy for Older Adults (Ger-iPST) is an 8-week online psychotherapy program with online therapist support delivered through the Online Psycho Therapy Tool (OPTT). Ger-iPST has several evidence-based elements tailored to the specific needs of older adults, including relevant content (e.g. aging-related examples); process adaptations (e.g. more repetition); and digital usability modifications (e.g. high-contrast text). Ger-iPST contains therapy modules assigned weekly and accessible at any time during the week. Modules begin with a brief, guided mindfulness relaxation exercise, followed by approximately 20 slides taking, on an average 1 hour to complete. Each module highlights a different step of Psychotherapy (PST) and includes an overview of a new skill, interactive activities and examples. A homework exercise designed to guide participants in applying a new PST skill exercise is submitted through the platform, and a clinician will provide personalized feedback.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Calgary

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Julia Kirkham, MD · University of Calgary

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-01-01

Primary Completion

2024-12-31

Completion

2025-12-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations