EM/PROTECT: Improving Depression in Elder Mistreatment Victims

One in ten older adults is a victim of mistreatment, and one third of victims have clinically significant depressive symptoms. Depression increases mortality and decreases motivation to take self-protective steps. Yet, no elder mistreatment (EM) agencies have embedded identification and treatment of depressed EM victims in their programs. The investigators developed EM/PROTECT, a behavioral intervention for depressed EM victims, to work in synergy with EM agencies that provide safety planning and links to legal services. EM/PROTECT has been designed in an iterative process with community EM providers of the NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA), to utilize agencies' routine depression screening and service referrals. The investigators propose to collect data on the feasibility and acceptability of EM/PROTECT as one of three developmental projects under the ALACRITY Center NIMH grant (1 P50 MH113838-01,PI: Alexopoulos) (IRB 1704018108). We will compare the effectiveness of EM/PROTECT with EM enriched with staff training in linking EM victims to community mental health services (EM/MH). To ensure rigor and reproducibility, EM/PROTECT or EM/MH will be offered to randomly assigned depressed EM victims. All EM victims will receive standard EM resolution services from DFTA. EM staff will screen and refer depressed victims to Cornell staff, who will describe the study and obtain consent. Standardized assessments will be conducted by trained raters blind to participant assignment.

In addition, the investigators will use both active and passive sensing technology through smartphone data collection to supplement in-person data collection with an objective measure of socialization and behavioral activation. Smartphone data will be used to explore whether adherence to active recordings and time spent carrying the phone is associated with greater effectiveness of EM/PROTECT.

Inclusion criteria

• 55 years of age or older
• Capacity to consent (per EM staff)
• Significant depression (per EM staff) as indicated by a score of 10 or above on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a widely used screening tool routinely administered in EM agency settings (the PHQ-9 has a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 88% for major depression)
• Need for EM services

Exclusion criteria

• Active suicidal ideation (MADRS item 10>4)
• Inability to speak English
• Axis 1 DSM-5 diagnoses other than unipolar depression or generalized anxiety disorder (by SCID)
• Mini-Mental Exam score of 23 or less 5
• Severe or life-threatening medical illness
• EM emergency and or referral out of EM agency (per EM staff)