Our findings suggest a significant relationship between depression and fall risk in the elderly. This relationship implies that the improvement of depression could be an effective measure to decrease fall risk in the elderly.
Background: Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has been shown to improve depressive symptoms in older adults with comorbid insomnia and depression. However, it remains unclear whether brief CBT-I is effective for improving depressive symptoms in communitydwelling older adults with insomnia symptoms of varying severity.Aim: This study sought to examine the effectiveness of a brief CBT-I intervention delivered by public health nurses to improve depressive symptoms among older adults recruited from a community setting.Methods: This randomized controlled study compared sleep status and depression at baseline and a 3-month follow-up using a wait-list control design. Depression was evaluated using the Geriatric Depression Scale short form (GDS-SF).
Results: The GDS-SF scores in the CBT-I group improved over time (p < .01), with an effect size (Cohen's d) of 0.34 (95% CI [0.16, 0.58]). The results demonstrated the effectiveness of a brief CBT-I intervention for depression, although the effect size was small.Linking Evidence to Action: A brief CBT-I intervention consisting of sleep hygiene education, stimulus control, sleep restriction, cognitive restructuring, and relaxation is effective for improving depressive symptoms among older adults in the community.
Our findings here suggest a significant relationship between poor sleep quality and impaired life function among elderly community residents. Given these findings, intervention to improve sleep may help delay or prevent the need for long-term care among elderly individuals.
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