Association between participant-identified problems and depression severity in problem-solving therapy for low-income homebound older adults.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the severity of baseline depressive symptoms and the problems that low-income homebound older adults (n = 66) identified in their problem-solving therapy (PST) sessions.

Methods: Depressive symptoms were measured with the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD). Participant-identified problems recorded in the therapists' worksheets were coded into seven categories: living arrangement/housing issues, financial/health care expense issues, family or other relationship issues, hygiene/task issues, social isolation issues, physical/functional health issues, and mental/emotional health issues. T-tests and ordinary least squares regression analyses were used to examine differences in HAMD scores between those who identified any problem in each category and those who did not.

Results: Participants who had living arrangement/housing and family or other relationship issues had higher baseline HAMD scores than the rest of the participants. At 2-week posttest, those with living arrangement/housing issues continued to have higher HAMD scores than the others, whereas those with family or other relationship issues did not.

Conclusion: The study findings provide insights into the problems that low-income, depressed homebound individuals bring to their PST sessions. It was not clear if family conflict or other relationship issues contributed to their depression or vice versa, but it appears that PST may have contributed to alleviating depressive symptoms associated with these issues. Precarious living/housing situations appeared to have had a serious depressogenic effect and could not be easily resolved within a short time frame of the PST process, as these issues required formal support.