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. 2022 Sep 29;22:773. doi: 10.1186/s12877-022-03453-1

Table 1.

Characteristics of included studies

Author/year Intervention description Country Type of study/Study design Population group (sample size, age ranges) Length and frequency of intervention Comparison group Outcomes and assessment methods Follow up time point Findings
Therapy
 Established forms of short-term therapy
  Siviş and Demir (2007) [58] Reminiscence therapy program Turkey quasi-experimental, controlled study and focus group interview with the intervention group participants Focus group interviews 10 participants with 5 in each group. Mean age: intervention 68 years and control 73 years Not reported No intervention

LSI A – Life satisfaction

Analysis approach for qualitative data not reported

post intervention

No significant difference between post-test Life Satisfaction scores of older adults in intervention group compared to control group

Participants reported positive feedback regarding the group experience, e.g., group’s role in facilitating interaction and friendship among participants, enhancing a more positive self-image and leading to enjoyment and pleasant feelings

  Cherian (2019) [7] Reminiscence therapy India pretest–posttest study 50 older adults aged 60–80 years residing in greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh Not reported GDS long form—Depression not reported significant reduction in depressive symptoms
  Efendi et al. (2020) [8] Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) Indonesia Randomised control trial 90 older adults > 60 years old living in the post-earthquake Lombok area experiencing PTSD based on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5), GDS ≥ 5 and MMSE ≥ 24. 45 respondents in the intervention group and 45 respondents in the treatment group Not reported no intervention Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5)—post-traumatic stress disorder; GDS – depression and WHO Quality of Life-BREF – Quality of Life 6 weeks decrease in post-traumatic stress disorder and depression scores, significant improvement in quality-of-life components
  Saisanan Na Ayudhaya et al. (2020) [46] Behavioural activation sessions delivered subsequently included (1) activity monitoring- examining the effect of specific activities on mood, (2) activity scheduling-developing a plan to increase pleasant activities, and (3) modification-utilizing problem-solving to alter contextual problems that may be eliciting or maintaining depressed mood Thailand quasi-experimental, controlled study 82 older adults aged 60 years and above from two subdistricts of Muang district of Samut Songkram Province who were diagnosed with subthreshold depression GDS score between 13 and 24. 41 older adults from each district was enrolled into the study 12 weeks Regular physical examinations, review of current health symptoms, and psychoeducation delivered by the local mental health nurse Thai GDS- Depression; DASS- Anxiety 3, 6,and 9 months follow up significant reductions in the TGDS score and DASS compared to usual care-only group. Lower TGDS and DASS depression and stress scores maintained up to 6 months. Reduction in DASS anxiety score maintained only for 3-month post-intervention
  Li et al. (2021) [30] group reminiscence therapy based on Chinese traditional festival activities. participants attended a four-hour intervention session China Randomised control trial 64 Chinese rural older adults (aged 65.70 ± 3.69 years) living alone with 32 individuals each in the intervention group and the wait-list control group one session each month for 8 months no intervention Perceived stress scale—Perceived stress; UCLA loneliness scale—loneliness 3 months significantly decreased the perceived stress and loneliness of rural older adults living alone in intervention group compared to control group post intervention and at 3 months follow up
  Yujia et al. (2021) [36] group reminiscence therapy intervention in combination with physical exercise China Randomised control trial 130 older adults aged 60 years and above from communities in Xiangtan City and Changsha City of Hunan Province, with 65 people in each group 8 weeks listened to 4 routine health lectures Spirituality Index of Well-Being—spiritual well-being; ULS Loneliness Scale—loneliness and Brief Resilience Scale – resilience post intervention (8th week) Reduction in loneliness and improvement in the spiritual well-being and resilience in the intervention compared to control group
  Sutinah (2020) [47] Psychoeducation therapy was done first and then followed by reminiscence therapy in the next day Indonesia quasi-experimental, controlled study 72 older adults in the Simpang Kawat Village, Jambi Indonesia. 36 in the intervention group and 36 in the comparison group. The average age of participants in the intervention and control groups was 68 years

Psychoeducation therapy:5 sessions with 5 meetings, and each session for 45–60 min

Reminiscence therapy: 5 sessions with 9 meetings and each session for 75 min. The intervention lasted for 6 weeks

reminiscence therapy Indonesian version of GDS—depression post intervention

Reminiscence therapy alone or in combination with psychoeducation therapy effective in reducing depression. The combination of reminiscence and

psychoeducation therapy was much more effective than reminiscence therapy alone

  Yuan et al. (2020)

[57, 59]

Adapted Cognitive behaviour therapy delivered by trained lay health workers China

Randomised control trial

Focus group and in-depth interviews

50 older adults (age: mean 70.5 ± 5.6 years) with Geriatric depression scale score > 9: 24 to the Cognitive behaviour therapy group and 26 to the Control group Eight sessions usual care

GDS– depression; Self-rating Anxiety Scale – anxiety and WHO Quality of Life-BREF—social relationships

Qualitative data analysed based on thematic framework was developed and agreed on by consensus

week 4 and week 8 (or after the eighth session)

Cognitive behaviour therapy reduced more Geriatric Depression scores over 8-week follow-up compared with usual care

The village doctors stressed the importance of role-playing and using instructive manuals in the training. Proper supervision was also a key component of the program. Cultural and political factors facilitated the elders’ access to mental health services. Challenges included a lack of real therapy (in contrast to role-playing) demonstrated in the training and lack of a step-by-step manual based on different types of problems encountered

  Viguer et al. (2017)

[48]

reminiscence program conducted by a trained psychologist Dominican Republic quasi-experimental, controlled study 168 healthy older adults aged 60 years and above recruited through four healthcare centers with no clinical depression (determined by a score of 14 or less on the Geriatric depression scale Spanish version). 84 in each group 10 weekly group sessions lasting two hours each No intervention

Spanish version of GDS– depression; LSI-A – life satisfaction; Spanish version of the Psychological

Well-Being Scales – psychological well-being

post intervention and at three months follow up significant increases in the time-group interaction, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being measures, and decreases in depressed mood, after treatment. The effects remained after three months in the case of life satisfaction and some dimensions of psychological well-being, but they were lower on depressed mood
  Xie et al. (2019) [34] Modified behavioural activation treatment and regular treatment China randomised control trial Eighty rural left-behind older adults, aged 60 years and above in Yankoutown town of Lengshuijiang City, Hunan Province who had a GDS score between 11 and 25. 40 participants in each group 8 weeks received regular treatment GDS—long form – depression; Beck Anxiety Inventory—anxiety and OHQ- happiness post-intervention, and at 3 months post-intervention GDS and BAI scores decreased significantly, but the scores of OHQ increased significantly in the intervention group. The reduction in depression symptoms after the intervention was maintained at the 3-month follow-up
  Zhou et al. (2012) [40] health education and group reminiscence therapy by trained community nurses China cluster randomised control trial 129 older adults (8 communities) with 62 participants (4 communities) in the intervention group (4 communities) and 67 participants in the control group. average age of participants was 69.4 years Once a week, for 90–120 min per session, and lasted for 6 weeks three health education sessions—one every 2 weeks lasting 30–45 min each GDS -depression; Self-Esteem Scale – self-esteem and Affect Balance Scale – affect balance postintervention (6 weeks) Depression scores in the intervention group decreased significantly compared to those in the control group. Scores on the positive affect subscale and affect balance in the intervention group increased significantly higher than control group, and scores on the negative affect subscale decreased significantly lower than control group
 Other forms of therapy
  Amigo and Mariati (2020) [51] Classical music versus music-video therapies Indonesia pretest–posttest study with two intervention groups 24 older adults aged 60 years and over who experienced stress (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale score > 14), with 12 older adults in each group DASS—stress not reported Significant effectiveness of both music and music video therapy in reducing stress in older adults
  Goksin and Asiret (2021) [29] Progressive muscle relaxation that involves the controlled contraction and relaxation of large muscle groups in the human body along with regular breathing Turkey Randomised control trial 49 elderly women aged 65 and over who were not diagnosed with dementia or psychiatric illness (21 intervention and 28 controls) from a family health centre 28 min sessions three times a week for 8 weeks no intervention GDS– depression post intervention (8th week) a significant difference in the mean depression scores in the intervention group
  Dias, Azariah, Anderson, et al. (2019) [55, 6063] Lay counsellors provided problem-solving therapy, brief behavioural treatment for insomnia, education in self-care of common medical disorders such as diabetes, and assistance in accessing medical and social programs India

Randomised control trial

semi structured, in-depth interviews with participants in the intervention arm

181 older adults (≥ 60 years) with subsyndromal depressive symptoms at rural and urban primary care clinics in Goa. with 91 participants in the intervention group and 90 in control group Six intervention sessions, 30 to 40 min in length that spanned 6 to 10 weeks including 2 booster sessions, 1 each at months 7 and 10 Care as usual

Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 6.0; Depression (GHQ-12)

Framework analysis (qualitative data)

12 months

Incident episodes of major depression lower in the intervention. The incidence of depressive symptoms was also less

Participant Perceptions of the Psychoeducation and Active Coping Strategies, Engagement with the Lay Counsellor, Coping with Physical Health Issues, Engaging in More Pleasurable Activities, Improving Sleep Quality, Using Strategies to Reduce “Tension”, Where the Intervention Was Not Perceived to Be Helpful and Participant Recommendations

  Esmaeilzadeh and Oz (2020) [52] Psychosocial care intervention delivered once a week group meeting session in total of nine sessions. The intervention used visual methods, question answer and discussion technique, homework, and warming games to address emotional, social, and physical problems that the elderly faced Turkey pretest–posttest study 44 older adults who are 65-year and above registered in the elderly day care center each session lasted approx.. 2 h GDS short form – depression; Turkish version of the WHO Quality of Life Instrument—Health-Related Quality of Life; UCLA loneliness scale—loneliness post intervention significant reduction in loneliness and improvement in quality of life but no significant reduction in depression
Exercise
 Ansai and Rebelatto (2015) [21] Multicomponent training session: warm-up using cycle ergometer; aerobic exercise using cycle ergometer; strength exercises of major muscle groups; balance activities; and cool-down exercise. Resistance training group carried out three sets of 10–12 maximal repetitions, with moderate speed and 1-min resting periods between sets Brazil Three arm randomised control trial 69 community-dwelling older adults aged 80 years and older from São Carlos with 23 in each group 16 weeks and included three 1-h sessions per week on non-consecutive days No intervention GDS—Depression Post intervention (16 weeks) No significant differences between groups on Geriatric depression scale
 Azizan and Justine (2016) [41]

Exercise behaviour group: group-based exercise followed by behavioural program

Exercise group: only the exercise training. conducted

Malaysia quasi-experimental, controlled study 63 older adults aged 60 and over recruited from three different villages. (a) exercise and behavioural program group (n = 18), (b) exercise only group (n = 23), and (c) control group (n = 22)

Exercise: three sessions per week, each session of 1 h for 6 weeks

Behavioural programme: two times per week for 5 weeks

advised to continue with their normal routines Malay version of the GDS – Depression; SF-12 Health Survey – Health-related quality of life 12 weeks and 24 weeks Significant main effect only in the level of depression among the three groups for Health-related quality of life, a significant main effect was found on the physical and mental component score
 Borbon-Castro et al. (2019) [42] In a multidimensional exercise program, exercise classes were offered 5 days a week for 12 weeks with a total of 60 sessions. Each session lasted for 60 min, including a warm-up, a variety of exercises, and cool-down. The 12-weeks exercise sessions were divided in to six modules which increased in intensity every two weeks Mexico quasi-experimental, controlled study 45 older adults living in the urban community, intervention group (n = 23) and control group (n = 22). The mean age was 67.7 years for intervention and 66.6 for control group 12 weeks advised to continue performing the activities of the center in which they were registered GDS—Depression 1 week after the conclusion of intervention Depression decreased in the intervention group
 Ibrahim et al. (2021) [53] daily virtual group exercise Malaysia pretest–posttest study Elderly aged 60 years and above recruited from the Promoting Independence in Seniors with Arthritis pilot cohort 4 weeks Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale – Anxiety and depression post intervention No significant difference in anxiety and depression scores before and after intervention
 Moraes et al. (2020) [22] Aerobic training group performed aerobic exercise on stationary bikes or treadmills. The strength training group performed exercises for the major muscle groups Brazil Three arm randomised control trial 27 outpatients from the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders from the Institute of Psychiatry at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. 9 in each group Both groups had to perform 30 min of moderate intensity physical exercise and had to attend at least 75% of the 24 sessions in 12 weeks 30 min of low-intensity exercise for 12 weeks HDRS and BDI- depression Post intervention Aerobic training and strength training groups showed significant reductions in depressive symptoms
 Ojha and Yadav (2016) [31] yogic techniques India Randomised control trial 500 subjects who were retired officials (in the age group of 65–75 years), 250 in each group from municipal areas of 12 towns of eastern Bihar half an hour daily for six months Usual activities Composite psychological wellbeing score – psychological well-being post intervention Significant improvement in composite psychological wellbeing score in intervention group
 Prakhinkit et al. (2014) [32] The Buddhist walking meditation program based on aerobic walking exercise incorporating the Buddhist meditations. Traditional walking exercise program involved walking at mild intensity Thailand Three arm randomised control trial Forty-five elderly participants aged 60–90 years with mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms were recruited from university hospital. 15 in each group Both interventions were performed for 20 min, 3 times/week for 12 weeks Usual activities Thai version of GDS (long form)—depression post intervention Depression score decreased only in the Buddhist walking meditation group
 Shahidi et al. (2011) [33] laughter yoga (10 sessions) and group exercise program (10 sessions) Iran randomised control trial Seventy depressed old women aged 60–80 years from cultural community of Tehran with GDS score > 10. Laughter Yoga (n = 23), exercise therapy (n = 23), and control groups (n = 24) No intervention GDS – depression; Diener life satisfaction scale – Life satisfaction post intervention significant decrease in depression scores of both Laughter Yoga and exercise therapy group in comparison to control group. There was no significant difference between Laughter Yoga and exercise therapy groups
 Chua and de Guzman (2014) [26] program consisting of wellness, physical fitness, and livelihood training activities facilitated by volunteer faculty from a local university Philippines Randomised control trial 40 community dwelling Filipino elderly aged 60–80 years. Twenty-five subjects were assigned to the intervention group while 15 subjects to the control group 4 months no intervention Life Satisfaction Index for the Third Age Short Form (LSITA-SF)—Life satisfaction and GDS—Depression 4 months The intervention group had significantly higher LSITA-SF scores after the program than before it was implemented and a significant decrease in the depression level
 Ghodsbin et al. (2015) [28] Laughter therapy, including performing breathing and physical exercises as well as laughter techniques Iran Randomised control trial 72 senior citizens aged 60 and over referring to Jahandidegan (Khold-e-Barin) retirement community center in Shiraz. With 36 participants in each group Consists of two 90-min sessions per week over 6 weeks No intervention General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) post intervention significant improvement in mean scores for anxiety but no significant improvement in mean scores for depression in the intervention group compared to the control group
 Xu et al. (2016) [35] Collective exercise intervention that included Baduanjin (Chinese gymnastics) and elderly ballroom dancing China randomised control trial 115 elderly hypertensive patients aged 60–70 years old from Fuzhou City, Fujian Province. With 58 participants in Intervention group and 57 in control group 12 weeks No intervention Symptom checklist 90- mental disorders and psychological illnesses post-intervention After intervention, the Symptom Checklist-90, total score, somatization, obsessive–compulsive symptom, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, and paranoia scores of the intervention group were significantly lower than those of the control group
Social engagement
 Aekwarangkoon and Noonil (2020) [35] weekly positive interpersonal interactions with grandchildren and older adults involving using words of affirmation, spending quality time, offering gifts, performing acts of service and communicating emotional love through physical contacts Thailand Cluster randomised control trial 80 older adults aged 60-year and above, living in 4 villages of Thasala District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, with 40 older adults in each group Six weeks Usual care Nine-Question Scale and HDRS- depression at 6th, 12th and 24thweek follow-up a significant decline in Hamilton Rating Scale scores after grandchildren’s love language program
 Jacob et al. (2007) [44] Community based day care which included recreational activities, occupational therapy, counselling services, medical services and a noon meal India quasi-experimental, controlled study 41 elderly residents of Pennathur village whose scores were in the lowest third on the socioeconomic status scale and on the social support scale no intervention WHO Quality of Life—BREF – Quality of Life 3 months a significant improvement in quality-of-life scores in those who attended day care compared to those who did not attend (p < 0.001)
 Malekafzali et al. (2010) [54] community mobilization of trained volunteers who were assigned to following tasks: home visits and face to face elderly education, referral to physicians for elderly with health problems, distribution of educational pamphlets, a general meeting question and answer session with the presence of the experts Iran pretest–posttest study 200 elderly patient aged 60 years and over Life satisfaction (No standard validated questionnaires were used) Post intervention No significant findings
 Rachasrimuang et al. (2018) [39] Trained youth volunteers were assigned for home visit to the same 6 to 7 elderly persons’ households Thailand Cluster randomised control trial elderly persons, aged 60 years and over living in the study area in 9 villages of Mainapiang Sub-district, Wangyai District, Khon Kaen province 18 weeks received conventional care by their family and children Thai version GDS – depression; Thai version of the EQ-5D-5L developed by Mahidol University—Health-related quality of life 9th week and 12th week follow up from baseline measurement significant reduction in depression scores in intervention group compared to control groups in the 9th-week and 18th-week follow-up. There was significant improvement in self-health perception in overall health status in intervention group compared to control group in the 18th week
Education
 Moeini et al. (2020) [9] Four weekly educational training sessions, each session lasting 60 min comprising of lectures, group discussions, colloquy, booklets and educational pamphlets by experts Iran quasi-experimental, controlled study 100 older adults aged 60‐75 years in Hamadan with 40 participants in intervention group and 60 participants in control group no intervention Persian version of Oxford Argyle Happiness Inventory – happiness and a questionnaire derived from social support questionnaire 3 months a significant improvement in the scores of happiness, social support and their components in the intervention group compared to the control group three months after the intervention
 Wang et al. (2019) [49] Mental health lecture and training in a nurse-led Path-oriented Psychological Self-help Intervention China quasi-experimental, controlled study 76 empty-nest older adults from 2 districts in the city of Chifeng. 38 in each group 1 month mental health lecture Chinese Mental Health Scale (geriatric edition)—mental health status 3 months The mental health status scores improved in the intervention group 1 month after baseline and sustained for 3 months after the intervention
 Yodmai et al. (2021) [10] Health promotion program that trained family member of older adults to change health behaviours such as eating healthy food, exercising, emotion management and disability preventive activities Thailand quasi-experimental, controlled study Fifty-five older adults aged 60–80 years with chronic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, and heart disease in Khon Kaen Province 12 months

usual health

promoting activities by health personnel

WHO-Quality of life measurement – Quality of Life; 30-item GDS- depression postintervention at 9th and 12th months After the intervention, social support and perception of health care from family members were significantly improved at the 9th month. At the 12th month, overall Quality of life, sensory ability, social participation, intimacy, social support, and perception of health care from family members significantly improved. Depression was also reduced at the 12th month
Other/Multi-component
 Abdi et al. (2019) [25] a religion-spiritual program that included strategies such as reading verses from the Holy Quran and spiritual caring services Iran Randomised control trial 100 Older adults with cardiovascular disease from Mostafa–Khomini hospital having a religion of Islam-Shia, 50 older adults in each group Six educational sessions, each in a week and lasted about 30–45 min No intervention BDI– depression; LSI-Z—Life satisfaction 3 months Higher mean life satisfaction scores and lower mean depression scores in intervention group than control group post intervention
 Carandang et al.(2020) [43]

Peer counselling group: Peer counsellors performed 1-h home visits weekly to their assigned clients

Social engagement group: Senior citizens joined 3-h weekly social events held at the OSCA Center

Combination group: both peer counselling and social engagement interventions

Philippines 4-arm quasi-experimental, controlled study 270 community-dwelling Filipino senior citizens with mean age was 68.3 years, who had tendency towards depression based on the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. peer counselling (n = 65), social engagement (n = 66), and combination (n = 65) and control group (n = 68) 3 months

usual or standard care from

health and aged care services

GDS—Depression. 8-item UCLA Loneliness Scale—Loneliness 3 months Social engagement and combined intervention had a large effect on reducing depressive symptoms while peer counselling had only moderate effect. All interventions had only small effect on improving loneliness
 Ebrahimi et al. (2020) [27] In one group, older adults received intergenerational programs plus aerobic exercises in the presence of young adults, and in other group they received intergenerational programs only Iran Three arm randomised control trial 150 older adults (mean age, 71.4 years) and 100 students (mean age, 21.8 years) living in Mashhad 8 weeks Daily routine activities WHO Quality of Life, BREF – Quality of Life postintervention at 8 weeks from baseline assessment a significant difference in the mean scores of quality-of-life dimensions between the three groups
 Zhan et al. (2018) [50] mental health services including knowledge about healthy mental state, psychological consultation/treatment, and access to a psychiatric hotline China quasi-experimental, controlled study 2,000 elderly residents, aged 60 years and above in the Longhua sub-district of Shanghai 1 year Only the basic mental health services Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale – Anxiety and depression; PHQ-9 and Quality of Life Index – quality of life and General Well-Being Schedule (GWB) – wellbeing 6 months and 12 months PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores gradually decreased and GWB score gradually increased in intervention group. After 12 months, compared the control group, the scores of subscales in GWB satisfaction and interest in life, worries about health, depressed versus cheerful mood, and relaxation versus tension (anxiety) were significantly better
 Rana et al. (2009) [45] Community based intervention that included physical activity, advice on healthy food intake and other aspects of management. Social awareness was provided by means of information about the contribution of and challenges faced by older adults at home and the community, including information about older adults’ health and health care. Intervention activities provided to older adults, caregivers, household members and community people Bangladesh quasi-experimental, controlled study 839 elderly persons (≥ 60 years) eight randomly selected villages (Intervention: n = 4; Control: n = 4) in rural Bangladesh. 425 elderly persons in the intervention group and 414 in the control group 15 months No intervention Health related quality of life – generic instrument 3 months after intervention significant differences noted in the physical, social, spiritual, environment and overall Health related quality of life
 Zhang et al. (2021) [37] Self-Mutual-Group based intervention, which consisted of three stages: self-management (2 months), mutual management (2 months), and group-management (3 months) China randomised control trial 396 empty-nest older adults in Taiyuan, Shanxi. With 204 participants in the intervention group and 192 in control group 7 months No intervention Short Form 36-Item Health Survey – Quality of Life postintervention (7th month) After the intervention, participants’ scores on Mental Component Summary, Physical Component Summary, role emotional, vitality, social function, mental health and general health increased significantly in the intervention group
 Li et al. (2020) [56, 64] The Collaborative Care for Older People with Comorbid Hypertension and Depression (COACH) model integrates the care provided by the older person's primary care provider (PCP) with that delivered by an Aging Worker (AW) from the village's Aging Association, supervised by a psychiatrist consultant China Five focus groups: two with VDs, two with AWs, and one with psychiatrists iterative process Facilitators to implementation include training, leaders’ support, geographic proximity between VD and AW pairs, pre-existing relationships among care team members, comparability of COACH activities and existing practices of VDs and AWs, and care team members’ caring about older members of their villages. Barriers to sustainability include frustration of some VDs related to their low wages and feelings of overload of some AWs

Legend. DASS Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, GDS Geriatric depression scale, WHO World Health Organization, LSI Life Satisfaction Index A, HDRS Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, BDI Beck Depression Inventory, OHQ Oxford Happiness Questionnaire.