A Family-based Primary Care Intervention to Enhance Older Men's Depression Care

Despite the public health importance of clinical depression, more than 50% of depressed adults receive inadequate or no treatment, with even higher rates of under-treatment in men and minorities. Family members and/or friends often assist older adults in their health care and may help overcome barriers to formal care, yet there is a lack of primary care-based interventions that mobilize family members and friends to improve depression treatment. In partnership with a community-based clinic, this research will address this scientific gap by developing and then testing the feasibility and acceptability of a family-based intervention that can be delivered pragmatically in a primary care setting serving large numbers of older minorities.