No abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and depression-related outcomes of a telephone-based mutual peer support intervention for individuals with continued depressive symptoms in specialty mental health treatment. Methods: Participants were depressed patients with continued symptoms or functional impairment treated at one of the three outpatient mental health clinics. Participants were partnered with another patient, provided with basic communication skills training, and asked to call their partner at least once a week using a telephone platform that recorded call initiation, frequency and duration. Depression symptoms, quality of life, disability, self-efficacy, overall mental and physical health and qualitative feedback were collected at enrolment, 6 weeks and 12 weeks. Results: Fifty-four participants enroled in the 12-week intervention and 32 participants (59.3%) completed the intervention. Participants completing the study averaged 10.3 calls, with a mean call length of 26.8 min. The mean change in BDI-II score from baseline to study completion was -4.2 (95% CI: -7.6, -0.8; p<0.02). Measures of disability, quality of life and psychological health also improved. Qualitative assessments indicated that participants found meaning and support through interactions with their partners. Discussion: Telephone-based mutual peer support is a feasible and acceptable adjunct to specialty depression care. Larger trials are needed to determine efficacy and effectiveness of this intervention.

Research supports the impact of empirically based treatments, such as Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), on producing positive treatment outcomes for clients. However, achieving outcomes in community settings that are similar to those found in research settings can be challenging, and little research has been conducted on how to best train community providers to implement PCIT with fidelity. This study assessed trainee implementation fidelity to the PCIT protocol in community settings. Session fidelity was reviewed for trainees using pre-established session integrity checklists and post hoc video review of key sessions. Analyses revealed that trainees maintained strong overall session fidelity, although fidelity percentages varied by session type and treatment phase. Results also highlight those session content items that are frequently left out by trainees during implementation. Implications of these findings, limitations, and future directions for research and PCIT workshops and consultation are discussed.