Article
English
ID: <
oai:doaj.org/article:4f581964ce544b4b92f1f67e8a42ac14>
·
DOI: <
10.1177/2158244015572486>
Abstract
We assessed adherence to and predictors of two components of a telephone-supported self-care intervention for depression among primary care adults aged 40 and above with chronic physical illnesses and comorbid depressive symptoms. Participants received a “toolkit” containing six self-care tools. Trained lay self-care “coaches” negotiated a contact schedule of up to weekly contacts. Study outcomes were levels of completion of the self-care tool and the coach contacts at the 2-month follow-up. Coaches reported the number of completed contacts. In all, 57 of 63 participants completed the 2-month follow-up. Of these, 67% completed at least 1 tool; the mean number of coach contacts was 5.7 ( SD = 2.4) of a possible 9 contacts (63% adherence). Higher disease comorbidity and lower initial depression severity independently predicted better tool adherence. Findings suggest that people with chronic physical illnesses can achieve acceptable levels of adherence to a depression self-care intervention similar to those reported for other populations.