PEERS Plus mHealth Enhanced Peer Support (Peers plus)

PEERS Plus - mHealth Enhanced Peer Support to Reduce Depression Among Low-income and Ethnic Minority Older Adults

The goal of this intervention study is to design and learn whether peer support that is delivered through video chats and texting can decrease depression among older adults. Participants will be assigned to a peer support program where they will receive 8 video chats with a peer mentor who provide social support and supportive texts over 8 weeks.

PEERS plus is a psychosocial intervention being developed to reduce depression among older adults. In this intervention peer mentors who are also 50 years of age and older and who have experiential knowledge of depression provide depression care. Older adults with depression will be recruited and assigned to the peer support program. This will consist of 8 weekly peer mentor - older adult video chats that provide emotional support and sharing of self-care skills for depression. Supportive texts will be sent on a weekly basis to older adults by peer mentors. These texts will provide encouragement, affirmations and information about mental health resources. Peer mentors are trained and supervised by a mental health professional during the 8 week period. We will assess at baseline, post study and 3 months after the intervention.

A cohort of 20 older adults will be assigned to the Peer plus program for 8 weeks, without a comparison group.

Peer mentors who have experienced depression provide social support through video chats and texting for 8 weeks.

Peer support intervention in which peer mentors who have experiential knowledge of depression deliver social support through video chats and texting to older adults with depression.

Inclusion Criteria: 50 years and older PHQ-9 score > 5, on the same antidepressant dose for at least 3 months if receiving psychotherapy, frequency is a most once a month able to communicate in English able to give informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: meet diagnostic criteria for mania or hypomania active suicidal ideation, 3) meet diagnostic criteria for psychotic syndrome meet diagnostic criteria for substance abuse or dependence a score on the Mini mental state exam (MMSE) < 24.