scholarly journals Comparing a Clinician Assisted and App-Supported Positive Psychiatry Behavioral Activation Intervention

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 373-374
Author(s):  
Ariane Massie ◽  
Keri-Leigh Cassidy ◽  
Michael Vallis ◽  
David Conn ◽  
Daria Parsons ◽  
...  

Abstract Positive psychiatry offers a unique approach to promote brain health and well-being in aging populations. Health interventions are increasingly becoming available using self-guided apps, however, little is known about the effectiveness of app technology or the difference between in-person versus self-guided app methodology for behavioural activation. The objective of this study was to investigate the difference in users and outcomes between two formats of a positive psychiatry intervention to promote brain health and well-being in later-life: (1) clinician-assisted, and (2) independent app use for self-management. As part of a larger national knowledge translation intervention two methods of a behavioural activation intervention (Clinician-assisted vs. Independent app use) were retrospectively compared. Main outcomes were patient characteristics (age, sex, and completion rate), psychological outcomes (health and resilience, and well-being), and behavioural outcomes (goal attainment, and items of goal SMART-ness). Clinician-assisted patients (n=254) were more likely to be male, older, and had lower health and resilience scores at baseline than Independent app users (n=333). Clinician-assisted patients had notably higher completion rates (99.2% vs. 10.8%). Psychological outcomes were similar regardless of intervention method for those who completed the intervention. Clinician-assisted patients had higher rates of goal attainment and goal SMART-ness. A preliminary goal setting methodology for effective behavioural activation, to promote brain health and wellness, is given. Clinician-patient relationships were found to be an important factor for intervention completion, caution is given for app use referral. Results indicate a need for further exploration to determine best practices for health app use in clinical practice.

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Keri-Leigh Cassidy ◽  
Michael Vallis ◽  
David Conn ◽  
Ariane S. Massie ◽  
Claire Checkland ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background: Positive psychiatry offers an unique approach to promote brain health and well-being in aging populations. Minimal interventions through behavioral activation to promote wellness are increasingly available using self-guided apps, yet little is known about the effectiveness of app technology or the difference between clinician-supported behavioral activation versus self-guided app methodologies. Objectives: Investigate the difference in users and outcomes between two methods of the Fountain of Health (FoH) positive psychiatry intervention for behavioral activation to promote brain health and well-being: (1) clinician-assisted and (2) independent app use for behavioral self-management. Design and setting: As part of a larger knowledge translation intervention in positive psychiatry, two specific methods of a behavioral activation intervention were retrospectively compared. Participants: Two subsets of patients were compared; 254 clinician-assisted patients; 333 independent app users. Intervention: A minimal positive psychiatry intervention in frontline care using the FoH health and behavior change clinical tools Measurements: Main outcomes were changes in psychological (health and resilience, well-being scores) and behavioral indices (goal attainment, items of goal SMART-ness). User profiles (age, sex and completion rates) were also compared. Results: Clinician-assisted patients were more likely to be male, older, and have lower health and resilience scores at baseline. Clinician-assisted patients had notably higher completion rates (99.2% vs. 10.8%). Psychological outcomes (improved health and resilience, and well-being) were similar regardless of intervention method for those who completed the intervention. Behavioral outcomes revealed clinician-assisted patients set goals that better adhered to key goal-setting items. Conclusions: Clinician–patient relationships appear to be an important factor for intervention completion and behavioral outcomes, while further exploration of best practices for intervention completion using health apps in clinical practice is needed. A preliminary goal-setting methodology for effective behavioral activation, to promote brain health and wellness, is given.


Gerontology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 435-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Robinson ◽  
Margie E. Lachman

This brief review on perceived control and aging is organized according to 3 perspectives of research involving description, explanation, and modification. An extensive body of literature has utilized cross-sectional and correlational methods to describe the sociodemographic variations and outcomes associated with perceived control. This work has focused on differences in perceived control as a function of age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and culture and has identified positive associations with many aging-related outcomes involving health and well-being. With growing evidence regarding the health benefits of perceived control in the context of a declining sense of control with aging, there has been an increased effort to uncover the mechanisms involved, with the hopes of developing methods to maintain and/or promote adaptive control beliefs throughout adulthood. Through longitudinal and experimental work, researchers are beginning to clarify the directionality and elucidate the mechanisms to explain the associations. Recent evidence from longitudinal studies shows that control beliefs have an impact on subsequent changes in health. Yet, the findings suggest that it is not a unidirectional relationship. A conceptual model suggesting an ongoing reciprocal relationship between perceived control and health and well-being is discussed. Research examining the mechanisms that link perceived control to aging-related outcomes can help to inform and to develop effective interventions that are tailored to the individual's specific barriers and goals. We consider new directions for research, including more attention to intraindividual variability and reactivity to daily challenges, such as stress, with the goal of advancing our understanding of how perceived control contributes to aging-related outcomes. More work is needed to develop strategies to enhance control beliefs in later life. Although it will not always be possible to modify control beliefs, researchers can take these beliefs into account when developing interventions. A personalized approach is recommended as a way to tailor interventions that are compatible with individuals' beliefs about control to facilitate adaptive behavior change. Conclusions focus on selected issues and considerations for future research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 405-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula McFadden ◽  
John Moriarty ◽  
Heike Schröder ◽  
Patricia Gillen ◽  
Gillian Manthorpe ◽  
...  

Abstract Social work, like many other human service professions, is ageing. This article reports and discusses the findings of a UK social work survey undertaken in 2018 (1,397 responses). It investigated how organisational policies and individual factors were affecting individual social workers’ decisions about working in later life. The survey measured (i) social workers’ attitudes to ageing at work and self-reported planning around retirement; (ii) mental health and well-being, quality of working life and home and work interface and (iii) intention to leave work and retirement planning. Statistical analysis enabled examination of how the interrelationship of these factors and relevant individual characteristics interact within the systemic work environment. Findings revealed that all participants had considered factors that might cause them to retire early. Framing the findings in an ecological conceptual model suggests that age-inclusive professional and organisational cultures, age-positive human resource management, support from line managers, fair working conditions and the ability to manage health and well-being, might enable social workers to extend their working lives in line with government policy. These findings provide insights for social work workforce policymakers and for employers to assist in their development of organisational and individual adjustments to sustain well-being in the social work profession.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Stokes

Loneliness is not merely an unpleasant experience but is harmful for older adults’ health and well-being as well. While marriage buffers against loneliness in later life, even married adults experience loneliness, and aspects of adults’ marriages may either protect against or actually foster loneliness among spouses. The current study analyzed dyadic data from 1,114 opposite-sex married Irish couples who participated in the initial wave of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (2009–2011) in order to extend findings of two prior dyadic studies of marital quality and loneliness in the U.S. to older married couples in Ireland and to directly compare two theoretical and methodological frameworks used by these studies to explain associations between husbands’ and wives’ reports of marital quality and loneliness in later life. Results revealed that both spouses’ perceptions of positive and negative marital quality were significantly related with husbands’ and wives’ loneliness and that spouses’ reports of loneliness were significantly related with one another. Findings also indicated that associations between marital quality and loneliness were similar for Irish and American couples in later life. Comparison of differing modeling strategies suggested that emotional contagion may serve as a pathway for dyadic partner effects.


2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (S1) ◽  
pp. S23-S25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard F. Butterwick

In pets, as in humans, there is increasing interest in interventions that promote ‘health and well-being’ into later life and extend these beyond their current limits. The purpose of this review was to assess the relevance of current knowledge of ageing in humans, described in a companion paper, as well as reviewing recent research on ageing in pet populations. The role of diet and other factors that influence the ageing process and ultimately lifespan in pets are highlighted in this review; in addition, future opportunities and challenges to further our understanding of the ageing process in pets are identified. Advancing knowledge of the fundamental biology of ageing will be key for the development and evaluation of strategies that extend both the quality and the quantity of lifespan in human and pet populations.


2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joelle C. Ruthig ◽  
Judith G. Chipperfield ◽  
Nancy E. Newall ◽  
Raymond P. Perry ◽  
Nathan C. Hall

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