Corpas, JorgeGilbody, SimonMcMillan, Dean2023-05-032023-05-032022-04-13Corpas J, Gilbody S, McMillan D. Cognitive, behavioural or cognitive-behavioural self-help interventions for subclinical depression in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2022 Jul 1;308:384-39http://hdl.handle.net/10668/22288Subclinical depression is a risk factor for the development of major depression in older adults. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of pure self-help or self-help with minimal support to reduce depressive symptoms and to prevent the onset of major depression in this population. This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of trials that used self-administrated cognitive, behavioural or cognitive-behavioural interventions for older adults with subclinical depression compared to control groups. Medline, Embase, PsycInfo and Cochrane databases were searched for relevant studies. We analysed eight trials involving 1449 participants. A small but significant effect favouring the intervention was found at short-term [d = 0.33; 95% CI (Confidence Interval): 0.20-0.47] and at long-term (d = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.04-0.40) for depressive symptoms. None of the studies looked at the preventive effect of self-help interventions in reducing the probability of a subsequent diagnosis of major depression. The low number of studies meant that it was not possible to test for publication bias. The absence of pre-published protocols for many of the studies meant that there is a possibility of selective reporting bias for some of the primary studies. There is some evidence that cognitive-behavioural self-help interventions may reduce depressive symptoms in older adults with subclinical depression. However, no study examined whether the intervention had a preventative effect in reducing the likelihood of a subsequent diagnosis of major depression.enAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Meta-analysisOlder adultsSelf-helpSubclinical depressionSystematic reviewAgedCognitionCognitive behavioral therapyDepressionDepressive disorder, majorHealth behaviorHumansResearch article35460732open accessAncianoCogniciónConductas relacionadas con la saludDepresiónTerapia cognitivo-conductualTrastorno depresivo mayor10.1016/j.jad.2022.04.0851573-2517https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.04.085