Twelve-month trajectories of depression after group-based psychotherapy led by nonspecialists at primary health centers: A case study from Vietnam

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbct.2023.09.002
• Publication Date: 2023-10-11T23:26:26Z
• Authors: Mai Tuyet Do; Tam Thanh Nguyen; Huong Thi Thanh Tran
• Keywords: Depression; Patient Health Questionnaire

Depression is a top prevalent mental illness but has low care access globally. Community-based interventions were considered to be effective for depression with scarce resources. This study evaluated after group psychotherapy in primary settings Vietnam up 12 months. A quasiexperimental including single-arm, pre- and post intervention assessment was conducted among 359 people aged 18–65 (PHQ-9 score ≥ 10) from August 2020 January 2022 10 communes of Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam. The PHQ-9 scores collected at baseline 3, 6, trained nonspecialists delivered 8 sessions therapy under supervision. Three hundred fifty-nine eligible participated the intervention, three two dropped out months six months, respectively. mean decreased 13.29 preintervention 2.83 difference severity between points follow-up statistically significant (p < 0.001). Ninety percent participants achieved reliable improvement, 96% recovered can promising approach management limited long term, which needs further evaluate its acceptance feasibility specific context.