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Does cognition predict treatment response and remission in psychotherapy for late-life depression ? OBJECTIVES To identify cognitive predictors of geriatric depression treatment outcome . METHOD Older participants completed baseline measures of memory and executive function , health , and baseline and post-treatment Hamilton Depression Scales ( HAM-D ) in a 12-week trial comparing psychotherapies ( problem-solving vs. supportive ; N = 46 ) . We examined cognitive predictors to identify treatment responders ( i.e. , HAM-D scores reduced by ≥50 % ) and remitters ( i.e. , post-treatment HAM-D score ≤10 ) . RESULTS Empirically derived decision trees identified poorer performance on switching ( i.e. , Trails B ) , with a cut-score of ≥82 predicting psychotherapy responders . No other cognitive or health variables predicted psychotherapy outcomes in the decision trees . CONCLUSIONS Psychotherapies that support or improve the executive skill of switching may augment treatment response for older patients exhibiting executive dysfunction in depression . If replicated , Trails B has potential as a brief cognitive tool for clinical decision-making in geriatric depression .
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Intervention_Psychological
psychotherapy
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Intervention_Psychological
psychotherapies ( problem-solving vs.
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Participant_Condition
late-life depression
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Participant_Condition
geriatric depression
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Participant_Age
Older participants
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Participant_Condition
Hamilton Depression Scales ( HAM-D )
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Participant_Sample-size
supportive ; N = 46
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Participant_Condition
response for older patients exhibiting executive dysfunction in depression
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Participant_Condition
decision-making in geriatric depression