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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05611996

PEERS Plus mHealth Enhanced Peer Support

The goal of this intervention study is to design and learn whether peer support that is delivered through video chats and texts 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.

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Key information

Conditions

Depression in Old Age

Age range

50 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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 at 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
  • meet diagnostic criteria for psychotic syndrome
  • meet diagnostic criteria for substance abuse or dependence
  • cognitive impairment, with a score on the Short Blessed Test > 9.

Treatment and study plan

Peers plus

Behavioral

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

Primary outcomes

  1. Intervention Feasibility

    Time frame: 18 months

    Proportion of the participants who complete 80% of their weekly meetings with the peer coach.

Other outcomes

  1. Patient Health Questionnaire-9

    Time frame: We assessed PHQ-9 scores as changes across three timepoints: baseline, post study and 3 month follow up. We ran a mixed-effects longitudinal model to examine how PHQ-9 scores changed over 5 months (8 week intervention and 3 month follow up).

    Depression will be assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 score is summed from 9 items in the questionnaire, and scores range from 0 to 27. A higher score indicates a worse outcome in depression. A score of 5 indicates mild depressive symptoms, 10 - 14 indicates moderate depression, 15-19 indicates moderately severe depression, and 20-27 indicates severe depression.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Registry information

Official study title

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

Acronym: Peers plus

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Nov 10, 2022
Registry last updated
Oct 8, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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