Interventions to Improve Depressive Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Scoping Review
AI Summary
Community-based interventions, grouped as discussion groups, individual contact, social engagement, and skills courses, often combined, show short-term reductions in depressive symptoms.
Evidence is limited by small sample sizes, reliance on self-reported outcomes and scarce long-term follow-up, restricting conclusions about sustained effectiveness.
Adapting interventions to local needs and improving recruitment, cultural and logistical barriers can expand reach and complement specialist mental health care.
J Prev (2022). 2026 May 28. doi: 10.1007/s10935-026-00911-z. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Depression is a prevalent psychiatric disorder among adults aged 65 and older, significantly impacting their well-being. With an aging global population, effective interventions delivered in community settings are vital to combat this issue. This review provides an overview of the characteristics of interventions addressing depression in community-dwelling older adults, identifying knowledge gaps by synthesizing current data. The search strategy entails a systematic database search across PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid, and PsycNet, without any time or language restrictions. Studies were included if they reported interventions delivered in community settings that aimed to improve depressive symptoms or reduce the prevalence of depression in older adults. A total of 20 studies met the inclusion criteria. Interventions were grouped into four main types (discussion groups, individual contact, social engagement activities, and skills courses), often combined. Most reported short-term reductions in depressive symptoms, but evidence was limited by small samples, reliance on self-reported outcomes, and scarce long-term follow-up. Interventions delivered in community settings show promise for supporting older adults’ mental health, especially when they are adapted to local needs. Improving recruitment strategies and tackling cultural and logistical barriers could expand their reach and accessibility, and strengthen the contribution of these programs alongside specialist mental health care.
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