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Telephone-Delivered, Interpersonal Psychotherapy for HIV-Infected Rural Persons With Depression: A Pilot Trial

All authors except for Dr. Heckman and Dr. Basta are affiliated with the Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens. Dr. Heckman is with the Department of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Basta is with the Department of Health and Human Services, Ohio University. Send correspondence to Dr. Heckman at the Department of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, 346 Grosvenor Hall, Athens, OH 45701 (e-mail: heckmant{at}ohiou.edu).

OBJECTIVE: Rural areas account for approximately 6% of AIDS cases in the United States. Many HIV-infected persons in rural areas live with elevated levels of psychiatric distress, suicidal ideation, and loneliness. This pilot study tested whether brief interpersonal psychotherapy delivered via telephone could reduce psychiatric distress among persons living with HIV-AIDS in rural areas in the United States. METHODS: Seventy-nine participants were assigned randomly to a usual care control condition or to a six-session, telephone-delivered, interpersonal psychotherapy intervention (hereafter referred to as the teletherapy group); participants in the teletherapy group continued to receive standard services available to them in the community. Participants completed self-administered surveys pre- and postintervention that assessed depressive and psychiatric symptoms, perceptions of loneliness, and social support. RESULTS: Participants in the teletherapy group evidenced greater reductions in depressive symptoms and in overall levels of psychiatric distress, compared with those in the control group. Nearly one-third of teletherapy participants reported clinically meaningful reductions in psychiatric distress from pre- to postintervention. CONCLUSIONS: The telephone-delivered interpersonal therapy intervention showed potential to reduce depressive and psychiatric symptoms among HIV-infected persons in rural areas. On the basis of these encouraging findings, additional research examining this intervention with this clinical population is warranted.

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