title: Beat the Blues decreases depression in financially strained older African-American adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Financial strain, defined as inadequate income to cover basic needs, is related to depression in minority populations. It is unclear whether interventions can improve depression in those reporting financial strain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Philadelphia senior center.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 208 African-American adults 55 years of age and older with mild to severe depressive symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Beat the Blues (BTB) depression intervention, which includes care management, referral/linkage, stress reduction, depression education, and behavioral activation. Measurements included responses to the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, financial strain, and age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although financial strain was related to depressive symptoms at baseline, participants receiving BTB at all levels of financial strain showed reduced depressive symptoms compared with a waitlist control group at 4 months. BTB participants reporting financial strain had a mean (standard deviation) decrease of 6.4 (0.85) points on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, reflecting a clinically meaningful improvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This nonpharmacologic intervention reduced depressive symptoms in both African-American subjects with and without financial strain. However, screening for and helping people manage financial strain may boost the magnitude of intervention benefit for those with financial strain and should be explored as part of depression care.
authors: Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address: sszanto1@jhu.edu.
authors: Sarah L
authors: SL
authors: Szanton
authors: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors: Roland J
authors: RJ
authors: Thorpe
authors: Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors: Laura N
authors: LN
authors: Gitlin
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: African Americans; depression; financial strain
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