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Bright Light as a Preventive Intervention for Depression in Late-Life: A Pilot Study on Feasibility, Acceptability, and Symptom Improvement.

Leggett AN, Conroy DA, Blow FC, Kales HC. Bright Light as a Preventive Intervention for Depression in Late-Life: A Pilot Study on Feasibility, Acceptability, and Symptom Improvement. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. 2018 May 1; 26(5):598-602.

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Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: We examined the feasibility and acceptability of a portable bright light intervention and its impact on sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms in older adults. METHODS: One-arm prevention intervention pilot study of the Re-Timer (Re-Timer Pty Ltd, Adelaide, Australia) bright light device (worn 30 minutes daily for 2 weeks) in 1 older adults (age 65?+?years) with subsyndromal symptoms of depression and poor sleep quality. Participants were assessed on intervention acceptability and adherence, depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire- 9), and sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Insomnia Severity Index, actigraphy and daily diary reports). RESULTS: The Re-Timer device was rated positively by participants, and, on average, participants only missed 1 day of utilization. Although depressive symptoms declined and self-reported sleep improved, improvement was seen largely before the start of intervention. CONCLUSIONS: An effective preventive intervention that is targeted towards a high risk group of older adults has the potential to reduce distress and costly health service use.




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