A randomized clinical trial of a coping improvement group intervention for HIV-infected older adults.
Abstract
This research tested if a 12-session coping improvement group intervention (n = 104)
reduced depressive symptoms in HIV-infected older adults compared to an interpersonal
support group intervention (n = 105) and an individual therapy upon request (ITUR)
control condition (n = 86). Participants were 295 HIV-infected men and women 50-plus
years of age living in New York City, Cincinnati, OH, and Columbus, OH. Using A-CASI
assessment methodology, participants provided data on their depressive symptoms using
the Geriatric Depression Screening Scale (GDS) at pre-intervention, post-intervention,
and 4- and 8-month follow-up. Whether conducted with all participants (N = 295) or
only a subset of participants diagnosed with mild, moderate, or severe depressive
symptoms (N = 171), mixed models analyses of repeated measures found that both coping
improvement and interpersonal support group intervention participants reported fewer
depressive symptoms than ITUR controls at post-intervention, 4-month follow-up, and
8-month follow-up. The effect sizes of the differences between the two active interventions
and the control group were greater when outcome analyses were limited to those participants
with mild, moderate, or severe depressive symptoms. At no assessment period did coping
improvement and interpersonal support group intervention participants differ in depressive
symptoms.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Acquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAdaptation, Psychological
Aged
Depression
Female
Geriatric Assessment
HIV Infections
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, Group
Self-Help Groups
Severity of Illness Index
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6061Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1007/s10865-010-9292-6Publication Info
Heckman, Timothy G; Sikkema, Kathleen J; Hansen, Nathan; Kochman, Arlene; Heh, Victor;
Neufeld, Sharon; & AIDS and Aging Research Group (2011). A randomized clinical trial of a coping improvement group intervention for HIV-infected
older adults. J Behav Med, 34(2). pp. 102-111. 10.1007/s10865-010-9292-6. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6061.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Kathleen J. Sikkema
Research Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Kathleen J. Sikkema, Ph.D., Gosnell Family Professor of Global Health, Psychology
and Neuroscience, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, is a
clinical psychologist with emphases in health and community psychology. She is the
Director of Doctoral Studies at the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI), Director
of the Social and Behavioral Science Core in Duke's Center for AIDS Research (CFAR),
an

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