VOICES Socials for Older Veterans With Depression

Launched by VA OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT · Nov 21, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The VOICES Veterans Socials trial is a study designed to help older veterans who are feeling depressed or lonely. The focus is on creating weekly social groups where veterans can come together, share experiences, and support each other. By talking to participants and collecting feedback through questionnaires, the researchers aim to improve these social gatherings to better meet the needs of older veterans dealing with depression. The ultimate goal is to enhance their social connections and mental health.

To participate in this study, veterans need to be diagnosed with depression or show signs of it, as assessed by a simple questionnaire. However, those with certain serious mental health conditions, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or those who have severe cognitive issues or active substance use problems, will not be eligible. Participants can expect to engage in meaningful social interactions while contributing to important research that could help improve support for veterans in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Documented depressive disorder or score of 2 or more on the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2)
• • Capacity to consent as determined by the University of California, San Diego Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent (UBACC)
• • Score of 1 or more on question 3 of the UCLA-3 OR score of 3 or less on question 4 of the Lubben Social Network Scale 6 (LSNS-6)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • DSM-5 diagnosis of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder or Bipolar Disorder
• • Symptoms of psychosis that would interfere with study participation
• • Probable Dementia as determined by the 6-item Cognitive Impairment Screener
• • Suicidal ideation with plan or intent
• • Non-English speaking
• • Active substance use disorder (DSM-5) (within 30 days of study entry)