Article
Using Interpersonal Psychotherapy to Reduce Depression among Home-Bound Elders
Best practices in Mental Health
(2012)
Abstract
This article describes a service-learning research project developed collaboratively between Binghamton University’s social work department and a human service agency, Broome County Council of Churches. In addition to providing instruction and weekly supervision to master of social work (MSW) students in an interpersonal psychotherapy-informed approach developed for depressed home-bound elders, quantitative and qualitative data were collected to ascertain the feasibility of using MSW student practitioners to reduce depressive symptoms among participants. Pre- and postintervention measures of depression using the Hamilton Rating Scale (Hamilton, 1960; n = 10) revealed overall reduction in depressive symptoms following intervention as well as a significant decrease in the subscale item of insomnia. There were no differences in overall cognitive functioning, as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (Kurlowicz & Wallace, 1999).
Keywords
- best practice,
- evidence-based practice,
- interpersonal psychotherapy,
- service learning
Disciplines
Publication Date
June, 2012
Publisher Statement
To find full access to this article, follow the link: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/lyceum/bpmh/2012/00000008/00000001/art00002
Citation Information
Bransford, C.L., & Choi, S. (2012). Using Interpersonal Psychotherapy to reduce
depression among homebound elders: A service-learning research collaboration.
Best Practices in Mental Health: An International Journal,8(1), 1-15.