Group, individual, and staff therapy: an efficient and effective cognitive behavioral therapy in long-term care.
OBJECTIVE
Depression is a major problem in long-term care (LTC) as is the lack of related empirically supported psychological treatments. This small study addressed a variant of cognitive behavioral therapy, GIST (group, individual, and staff therapy), against treatment as usual (TAU) in long-term care.


METHODS
25 residents with depression were randomized to GIST (n = 13) or TAU (n = 12). Outcome measures included geriatric depression scale-short form (GDS-S), life satisfaction index Z (LSI-Z), and subjective ratings of treatment satisfaction. The GIST group participated in 15 group sessions. TAU crossed over to GIST at the end of the treatment trial.


RESULTS
There were significant differences between GIST and TAU in favor of GIST on the GDS-S and LSI-Z. The GIST group maintained improvements over another 14 sessions. After crossover to GIST, TAU members showed significant improvement from baseline. Participants also reported high subjective ratings of treatment satisfaction.


CONCLUSIONS
This trial demonstrated GIST to be more effective for depression in LTC than standard treatments.
Hyer
Lee
L
Georgia Neurosurgical Institute, Macon, Georgia, USA.
Yeager
Catherine A
CA
Hilton
Nathan
N
Sacks
Amanda
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome