Prevention of depressive symptoms through the use of distance technologies.

Full Abstract

Psychoeducational materials can be disseminated at minimal expense through the use of distance technologies, offering an opportunity for prevention. The objective of this project was to develop and evaluate a psychoeducational computer program designed to prevent depressive symptoms. The program was accessible through the Internet or by touch-tone telephone. A total of 786 participants were randomly assigned either to the preventive intervention or to an information-only control condition. Over a three-month follow-up period, no differences between the groups were observed. However, three of the target variables (cognitive style, activity level, and sleep quality) were found to be strong predictors of whether a participant had an episode of major depression during the follow-up period.

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Author information

Author/s: Patten, Scott B (SB);

Affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. patten(-atsign-)ucalgary.ca

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Comparative Study; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) (Psychiatr Serv), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Mar; vol 54 (issue 3) : pp 396-8

Dates: Created 2003/02/28; Completed 2003/04/21; Revised 2007/11/15;

PMID: 12610251, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Alberta
Delivery of Health Care - methods
Depression - physiopathology; prevention & control
Education, Distance - methods
Female
Humans

Humans
Internet
Male
Middle Aged
Outcome Assessment (Health Care)
Patient Education as Topic - methods
Telecommunications

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