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Tele-PROTECT Therapy: Effectiveness, Empowerment, and Implementation

Who can join

As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.

Age
60 Years and older
Sex
All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Not accepted
Compensation
Not stated

Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.

What to expect

No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.

What participation involves

Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.

Compensation
Not stated
  • Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
  • Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
  • Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
  • Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.

About this study

In plain language

This study compares Tele-PROTECT therapy with depression education, both given by video for 9 weeks. It is for English- or Spanish-speaking adults age 60 or older in New York City who have depression and need elder abuse services. The study tests whether Tele-PROTECT lowers depression and helps people feel more able to take steps to stay safe.

The purpose of this randomized trial is to conduct a fully powered effectiveness trial of video-delivered PROTECT (Tele-PROTECT) compared to a video-delivered depression education (DepEd) control condition to be delivered to 140 English- and Spanish-speaking NYC elder abuse victims. Investigators hypothesize three main aims: 1. Effectiveness Aim: Tele-PROTECT participants will have significantly greater and clinically meaningful reductions in depression when compared to the DepEd control; 2. Abuse Impact Aim: Tele-PROTECT participants will demonstrate greater safety related empowerment compared to DepEd control, which can help participants take steps to reduce risk; 3. Implementation Aim: Stakeholders' views of the factors impacting the implementation of Tele-PROTECT based on characteristics of the intervention, agency setting, and population served will contribute to a national dissemination of Tele-PROTECT Participants will * Receive 9 weeks of tele health psychotherapy delivered by a Master's level mental health clinician from the Weill Cornell Medicine research team. Participants will be assigned to "Tele-PROTECT" or "DepEd" psychotherapy randomly. * Participate in one baseline assessment and four follow-up assessments at weeks 3, 6, 9, and 12 administered by a trained member of the research team.

Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.

Eligibility

Who can join

  • You are age 60 or older.
  • Elder abuse staff say you can understand the study and agree to join.
  • You have depression, with a score of 10 or higher on the PHQ-9 depression survey.
  • An elder abuse case worker confirms that you need elder abuse services.

Who can't join

  • You have active thoughts of suicide that meet the study's rating cutoff.
  • You cannot speak English or Spanish.
  • A study interview finds a mental health disorder other than depression or generalized anxiety disorder that occurs with depression.
  • You score below 11 on the Mini-MOCA, a test of memory and thinking.
  • You have a severe or life-threatening illness.
  • You have an elder abuse emergency or are referred outside the elder abuse agency.

Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.

Official eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * ≥60 years of age * Capacity to consent (per elder abuse staff) * Depression, i.e., PHQ-9≥10 (by elder abuse staff), represents mild to moderate severity of depression and has a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 88% for major depression * Need for elder abuse services as verified by the elder abuse case worker. Exclusion Criteria: * Active suicidal ideation (MADRS item 10 ≥4) * Inability to speak English or Spanish * Axis 1 DSM-5 diagnoses other than unipolar depression or comorbid generalized anxiety disorder (by SCID) * Mini-MOCA less than 11 * Severe or life-threatening medical illness * Elder abuse emergency and or referral out of elder abuse agency.

Study sites (1)

NY