Effect of problem-solving therapy on clinical efficacy, cognitive and social function in senile patients with first episode depression / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the effect of problem-solving therapy (PST) on clinical efficacy, cognitive and social function in senile patients with first episode depression.Methods:From March 2020 to August 2021, a total of 86 patients with first onset elderly depression treated in the geriatric department of Qingdao Mental Health Center were selected. According to the random number table method, totally 86 patients were randomly divided into a study group and a control group, with 43 cases in each group. The control group was treated with antidepressant drugs and basic psychiatric nursing intervention. The study group received PST treatment on the basis of the control group for 8 weeks. The Hamilton depression scale-17 items(HAMD-17), Montreal cognitive assessment scale (MoCA), and social dysfunction screening scale (SDSS) were used to assess the degree of depression, cognitive function and social function in both groups. SPSS 18.0 was used for statistical analysis. Independent sample t-test was used for comparison between groups, paired sample t-test was used for comparison before and after treatment. Results:After 8 weeks of intervention, HAMD-17 scores and SDSS scores in the two groups were both significantly decreased compared with before intervention, and the differences between pre intervention and post intervention had statistical significance( t=3.067, 22.543, both P<0.05), while MoCA scores were significantly increased, and the difference between pre intervention and post intervention had statistical significance ( t=9.623, P<0.05). Compared with the control group after 8 weeks of intervention, the HAMD-17 score ((14.44±1.97), (15.58±2.66), t=2.260, P=0.026) and SDSS score((9.44±2.24), (13.00±1.73), t=8.242, P<0.001) of the study group were lower, and the score of MoCA ((25.44±1.28), (23.84±1.56), t=5.223, P<0.001) was higher. Conclusion:In addition to conventional antidepressant therapy, PST not only reduces the severity of depression in elderly patients with first episode depression, but also significantly improves their cognitive and social function.