Behavioural activation for depression in older people: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Behavioural activation for depression in older people: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Behavioural activation is an effective treatment for depression in the general adult population but it is unclear whether it is effective for older people.

Aims: To systematically review randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of behavioural activation for depression in older people.

Method: We searched Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and online trial registers for RCTs of behavioural activation for depression in older people.

Results: Eighteen trials were included in the meta-analyses. Behavioural activation reduced mean depression scores for older people living in the community as a stand-alone treatment: standardised mean difference (SMD) −0.72, 95% Cl −1.04 to −0.41. It was also effective as part of a multicomponent intervention (SMD −0.44, 95% CI −0.56 to −0.32).

Conclusions: Behavioural activation significantly reduces depressive symptoms in older people in the community; however, given that most studies are small and with significant bias results should be interpreted with caution. Further high-quality trials of behavioural activation for this age group are needed.


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