An Evaluation of a Low-Intensity CBT Mobile Health-Supported Intervention to Reduce Loneliness in Older People

Course overview

Course Description: This course reviews the use of CBT mobile health intervention for loneliness in older people. Loneliness is common in the elderly and access to care can be enhanced with mobile health interventions. This course material is published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and is available as an open access article through MDPI AG, in Basel, Switzerland. Abstract: There is a high prevalence of loneliness among older people, especially in residential care settings. Loneliness is often accompanied by maladaptive cognitions which can affect the maintenance and establishment of meaningful social connections. This study implemented and evaluated a low-intensity Cognitive Behavior Therapy (LI-CBT) mHealth-supported intervention which targeted maladaptive cognitions in older people (60 years) experiencing loneliness. The three-month intervention using WhatsApp was implemented with older people in four inner-city residential care facilities. The intervention included three components: technology acceptance, psycho-education, and individualized positively worded messages addressing maladaptive cognitions. The intervention was evaluated using a randomized control design. Key outcomes were measured pre-, post-, and one month after the intervention. There were significant changes in social cognition and loneliness levels and an increase in WhatsApp usage. At 1-month follow-up, even with a significant reduction in WhatsApp usage, a significant reduction in loneliness was maintained. LI-CBT delivered via instant messaging may be effective in reducing loneliness experienced by older people. This course on the effects of a mobile health supported CBT intervention on loneliness is the elderly, is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their understanding of the effects of mobile health CBT for seniors. The course material includes a review of interventions. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require clinical continuing education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article which includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. A major benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: Jarvis, Padmanabhanunni and Chipps Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding the effects of mobile health CBT on loneliness in senior citizens. Specifically, a professional will: Describe low intensity cognitive behavior therapy Identify new methods for applying CBT when using technology Recognize the effectiveness of using mobile CBT in reducing loneliness Citation: Jarvis, M. A., Padmanabhanunni, A., & Chipps, J. (2019). An Evaluation of a Low-Intensity Cognitive Behavioral Therapy mHealth-Supported Intervention to Reduce Loneliness in Older People. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(7), 1305. Visit us online for a full year of unlimited online CEUs.