Depression in Homebound Older Adults: Problem-Solving Therapy and Personal and Social Resourcefulness

• We examined relationship between depression and resourcefulness among homebound older adults.
• Resourcefulness was not associated with depressive symptoms at baseline.
• Only personal resourcefulness was negatively associated with depressive symptoms following problem-solving therapy.
• Resourcefulness did not mediate the PST’s effect on depressive symptoms.

The goal of problem-solving therapy is to teach patients systematic coping skills. For many homebound older adults, coping skills must also include both personal and social (help-seeking) resourcefulness. This study aimed to examine the relationship between perceived resourcefulness and depressive symptoms at postintervention and potential mediating effect of the resourcefulness among 121 low-income homebound older adults who participated in a pilot randomized controlled trial testing feasibility and preliminary efficacy of telehealth-PST. Resourcefulness Scale for Older Adults was used to measure personal and social resourcefulness. Only personal resourcefulness scores were significantly associated with depression outcomes at postintervention, and neither resourcefulness scores were significantly associated with group assignment. Analysis found no mediation effect of resourcefulness. The findings call for further research on potential mediators for the potentially effective depression treatment that could be sustained in the real world for low-income homebound older adults who have limited access to psychotherapy as a treatment modality.