Problem-Solving Therapy
Support For Pst In Older Adults
Thus far only three empirical studies have evaluated the efficacy of PST in older, depressed adults. The first study was conducted by Hussain and Lawrence on older nursing home patients. In this study patients received either PST or supportive therapy. Patients who received PST showed fewer symptoms of depression after treatment than those who received the supportive care. The second study, conducted by Areán et al., compared PST to reminiscence therapy (RT), a treatment that at the time of the study was a common geriatric intervention. Although both interventions were superior to no treatment, PST resulted in far fewer symptoms and more remission of depression than RT. A study by Barrett et al. compared PST to Paxil and placebo in older medical patients with mild depression. This study found that PST was equivalent to placebo. It should be noted that the version of PST used in this study was one developed by Mynors-Wallis. This version of PST presents the problem-solving skills in one session, rather than allowing older patients an opportunity to practice each skill individually. It is likely that this mode of presentation is ineffective with older patients, and thus the more traditional presentation of PST is necessary for there to be any benefit for older people. More research into the process of delivery is needed to fully answer this question.
PATRICIA AREÁN
See also DEPRESSION; INTERPERSONAL THERAPY; STRESS AND COPING.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
AREÁN, P. A; PERRI, M. G.; NEZU, A. M.; SCHEIN, R. L.; CHRISPTOPHER, F.; and JOSEPH, T. "Comparative Effectiveness of Social Problem-Solving Therapy and Reminiscence Therapy as Treatment for Depression in Older Adults." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 61, no. 6 (1993): 1003–1010.
BARRETT, J. E.; WILLIAMS, J. W., JR.; OXMAN, T. E.; KATON, W.; FRANK, E.; HEGEL, M. T.; SULLIVAN, M.; and SCHULBERG, H. C. "The Treatment Effectiveness Project. A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Paroxetine, Problem-Solving Therapy, and Placebo in the Treatment of Minor Depression and Dysthymia in Primary Care Patients: Background and Research Plan." General Hospital Psychiatry 21, no. 4 (1999): 260–273.
D'ZURILLA, T. J., and NEZU, A. M. Problem-Solving Therapy: A Social Competence Approach to Clinical Intervention. New York: Springer, 1999.
HUSSAIN, R. A., and LAWRENCE, P. S. "Social Reinforcement of Activity and Problem Solving Training in the Treatment of Depressed Institutionalized Elderly Patients." Cognitive Therapy and Research 5, no. 1 (1981): 57–69.
KESSLER R. C.; MCGONAGLE, K. A.; ZHAO, S.; NELSON, C. B.; HUGHES, M.; ESHELMAN, S.; WITTCHEN, H. U.; and KENDLER, K. S. "Lifetime and 12-Month Prevalence of DSM-III-R Psychiatric Disorders in the United States: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey." Archives of General Psychiatry 51 (1994): 8–19.
LERNER, M. S., and CLUM, G. A. "Treatment of Suicide Ideators: A Problem-Solving Approach." Behavior Therapy 21, no. 4 (1990): 403–411.
MYNORS-WALLIS, L. "Problem-Solving Treatment: Evidence for Effectiveness and Feasibility in Primary Care." International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine 26, no. 3 (1996): 249–262.
MYNORS-WALLIS, L.; DAVIES, I.; GRAY, A.; and BARBOUR, F. "A Randomized Controlled Trial and Cost Analysis of Problem-Solving Treatment for Emotional Disorders Given by Community Nurses in Primary Care." British Journal of Psychiatry 170, no. 2 (1997): 113–119.
MYNORS-WALLIS, L. M.; GATH, D. H.; DAY, A.; and BAKER, F. "Randomized Controlled Trial of Problem-Solving Treatment, Antidepressant Medication and Combined Treatment for Major Depression in Primary Care." British Medical Journal 320, no. 7226 (2000): 26–30.
NEZU, A. M. "Efficacy of Social Problem-Solving Therapy Approach for Unipolar Depression." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 54, no. 2 (1986): 196–202.
NEZU, A. M., and PERRI, M. G. "Social Problem-Solving Therapy for Unipolar Depression: An Initial Dismantling Investigation." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 57, no. 3 (1989): 408–413.
NEZU, A. M.; NEZU, C. M.; and PERRI, M. Social Problem Solving Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1989.
Additional topics
Medicine EncyclopediaAging Healthy - Part 3Problem-Solving Therapy - Application To Older Adults, Social Problem-solving Therapy, Support For Pst In Older Adults