Voice Activated Personal Assistant for Depression Among Older Adults
- Conditions
- Depression, Anxiety
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Alexa with GuidebookBehavioral: VIPA Treatment Program
- Registration Number
- NCT06114485
- Lead Sponsor
- Northwestern University
- Brief Summary
Participants will use Amazon Alexa to test a new voice-assisted program for mental health management. The participant will use this program to help with goal setting, reminders, and various other services. The participant may be supported by a caregiver, if available, or by research team member who will serve as a coach for the duration of the study to guide them with using the program. Participants will be asked to complete surveys and assessments about their experiences during the 12-week study period. Participants will be randomized into two groups: those who receive a guide to help them with utilization of the program to its fullest potential and those who do not receive that guide.
- Detailed Description
Older adults have often been on the fringe of benefiting from technology. However, voice-controlled intelligent personal assistants (VIPAs; e.g. Google Home, Amazon Echo), with their natural interaction style and ease of use, are a simple interface technology that may be useful to older adults with depression in the home setting. The caregiver or coach will be able to schedule and follow the interactions between the older adult and the VIPA. The VIPAs would potentially be able to provide functional, cognitive, and social stimulation as well as improve anti-depressant medication adherence through reminders to older adults.
The aim is to evaluate a VIPA that was designed to deliver behavioral activation prompts to older adults with depression. Through user centered design (UCD), the investigators have adapted the model for remote support with the aid of VIPAs that provide psychoeducation, as well as features that support social, cognitive, and functional stimulation and reminders.
The intervention will be 8 weeks, with a 4-week follow-up. During 8-week intervention, participants will be able to use Amazon Echo Show 8 and the study's VIPA program to set goals, reminders, and the like to help with their mood. Participants will also be asked to completed associated assessments. If caregivers are involved, they will also be asked to complete assessments.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 80
Not provided
Not provided
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Control Treatment (CT) Alexa with Guidebook Participants randomized to Arm 2 will be sent an Amazon Alexa device with guidebook to help the older adult and their caregiver understand how to use the device. Digital Mental Health Intervention (DMHI) VIPA Treatment Program Participants randomized to Arm 1 will be sent an Amazon Alexa device, with a newly designed VIPA treatment program installed, and will receive a guidebook to help the older adult and their caregiver understand the device and utilize the VIPA treatment program to its fullest potential.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Anxiety symptoms 12 weeks The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) measures anxiety symptom severity on a scale of 0-21, with higher scores indicating greater severity
Depressive symptoms 12 weeks The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) PHQ-9 measures depression symptom severity on a scale of 0-27, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
The PHQ-9 measures depressive symptom severity on a scale of 0-27, with higher scores indicating greater severity
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Adherence 8 weeks The number of times the Alexa device was accessed (Usage; # communications with TES-VIPA)
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Northwestern University
🇺🇸Chicago, Illinois, United States