VOICES Socials for Older Veterans With Depression

VOICES Veterans Socials (VS) support Veterans in the community through weekly social groups. Veterans socials have the potential to improve social functioning, mental health symptoms, and create lasting social support. This project aims to evaluate and improve Veterans Socials to help older Veterans with depression by adapting materials, interviewing VS attendees, and collecting questionnaires. The goal is to improve the program based on the results for future use and research.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depression; Loneliness; Isolation
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Veterans Social

Detailed Description

VOICES Veterans Socials is a peer-led weekly social group based in the community designed to promote sustainable social support among Veterans. The research seeks to adapt and conduct a preliminary evaluation of the Veterans Socials (VS) intervention with older Veterans. The study will develop a training procedure for VS facilitators and evaluate an open trial of this intervention. This study will determine whether a larger-scale, more definitive VS study is indicated

Phase 1: 13 total participants will engage in semi-structured interviews about barriers to social engagement, challenges around community-based activities, social support acquisition, and how their age and Veteran status intersects with these constructs.

Phase 2: 20 participants will be recruited for VOICES Veterans Socials (VS) which will be conducted in 2-4 community-based social groups, with 5-10 participants in each social group. The investigators will conduct data collection on three occasions; at enrollment (pre; 0 months), at intervention completion (post; including semi-structured interview; 4 months) and at follow-up (7 months).

VS Procedures. Twenty Veterans aged 65 or older with depression will engage in VS. Veterans will receive 90-minutes of weekly social engagement in a community-setting in accordance with the VS manual. Each week will focus on social connections, engagement in social activities, and reinforcing behaviors that give individuals meaning and purpose.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 18
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, 01730-1114
      • VA Bedford HealthCare System, Bedford, MA

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Documented depressive disorder or score of 2 or more on the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2)
• Capacity to consent as determined by the University of California, San Diego Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent (UBACC)
• Score of 1 or more on question 3 of the UCLA-3 OR score of 3 or less on question 4 of the Lubben Social Network Scale 6 (LSNS-6)

Exclusion Criteria:

• DSM-5 diagnosis of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder or Bipolar Disorder
• Symptoms of psychosis that would interfere with study participation
• Probable Dementia as determined by the 6-item Cognitive Impairment Screener
• Suicidal ideation with plan or intent
• Non-English speaking
• Active substance use disorder (DSM-5) (within 30 days of study entry)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Veterans Social; Peer-led weekly community-based social groups (16 weeks)	Behavioral: Veterans Social; Peer-led weekly community-based social groups (16 weeks) that are current treatment at the study site.; Other Names: VOICES Veterans Social

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
VS Fidelity Checklist	The VS Fidelity Checklist measure consists of nineteen elements that guide facilitators through how best to maintain successful VS.	Baseline, 4 month, 7 month-- CHANGE IS BEING ASSESSED
Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)	Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) is a 21-item self-administered screening tool measuring the severity of depression in adolescents and adults. Higher scores indicate more depressive symptoms. The highest score is 63 and the lowest possible score for the test is zero.	Baseline and 7 month
Duke Social Support Index (DSSI)	The Duke Social Support Index (DSSI) includes twenty-three items in three subscales: social interaction, subjective social support, and instrumental support). They are scored using a 3-point Likert scale and together assess social isolation. The scale ranges from 7 to 21 with higher scores indicating more social support. Only the Social Interaction (4 items) and Subjective Social Support (7 items) subscales will be used.	Baseline and 7 month
Lubben social network scale - 6 (LSNS-6)	The Lubben social network scale - 6 (LSNS-6) is a 6 item self-report measure of social engagement including family and friends. Scores range from 0-5 with higher scores indicating higher social engagement.	Baseline and 7 month
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) for Emotional Support and Informational Support	The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) for Emotional Support and Informational Support consists of eight items each. The PROMIS Emotional Support (PROMIS-ES) measures the availability of others to speak with and feel appreciated by, whereas the PROMIS Informational Support (PROMIS-IS) measure captures perceived availability of advice or helpful information. Scores range from 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher support.	Baseline, 4 month, 7 month
UCLA Loneliness Scale, Version 3 (UCLA)	UCLA Loneliness Scale, Version 3 (UCLA) is a 20-item questionnaire that measures one's subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Response options for each item range from 0 (Never) to 4 (often). Total scores range from 0 to 80 with higher scores indicating higher loneliness.	Baseline and 7 month
Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ-15)	The INQ-15 (19) is a self-report measure composed of 15 items that evaluate the main constructs of interpersonal suicide theory (8): PB (items 1-6), and TB (items 7-15). The items are answered on a 1-7 Likert scale with response options ranging from "Not at all true for me" to "Very true for me."	Baseline and 7 month
Client Satisfaction Questionaire-8 (CSQ-8)	Client Satisfaction Questionaire-8 (CSQ-8) is an 8-item measure of participant satisfaction with the intervention. Scores on the CSQ-8 range from 8-32 with a higher score indicating higher satisfaction	Baseline, 4 month, 7 month
VOICES Social Post-Interview (VSPI)	VOICES Social Post-Interview (VSPI) is a brief interview (up to 30 minutes) that will consist of open and closed questions about initiation of the event, process of engaging with other participants, friend acquisition, as well as resources or key knowledge (e.g., healthcare, community opportunities) discovered.	Baseline and 7 month
Friend Acquisition Questionnaire	Friend Acquisition Questionnaire is a 3-item questionnaire measuring utilization of the Veterans Socials for building structural social connections.	Baseline and 7 month
VS Facilitator Training Evaluation	The VS Facilitator Training Evaluation consists of approximately seventeen open and multiple-choice questions that immediately follow training and approximately four open and multiple-choice questions after a delay, when the VS facilitators begin implementing VS	Baseline and 7 month
The Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model (LTEM)	The Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model (LTEM) is an eight level model that divides the learning process into eight stages (attendance, activity, learner perceptions, knowledge, Decision making competence, task competence, transfer, and effects of transfer) and identifies the relevant assessment aspects for learning success at each stage.	Baseline and 7 month
The Berkman-Syme Social Network Index Adapted	a 4 item self report measure, and selected items will be used to assess the type, size, closeness, and frequency of contacts in a respondent's current social network. Respondents are categorized into four levels of social connection: socially isolated, moderately isolated, moderately integrated, and socially integrated. Scores range from 0 to 4, with 0 representing the highest level of social isolation and 4 representing the lowest level of social isolation.	Baseline and 7 month

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Patient Health Questionnaire -2 (PHQ-2)	Patient Health Questionnaire -2 (PHQ-2) is a 2-item screening tool that includes the first two items of the PHQ-9. It is frequently used to identify patients in which major depressive disorder is likely. A PHQ-2 score ranges from 0-6, with a score of 3 or greater indicating major depressive disorder is likely.	Screener

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jay Gorman, PsyD, VA Bedford HealthCare System, Bedford, MA

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 2, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 14, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 21, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): November 24, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 28, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 22, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Depression; Older Adults; Loneliness; Veteran; Socialization; Community; Isolation; Veteran Socials
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Depression
• Other Study ID Numbers: D4894-P; 1I02RX004872-01P0 (Other Grant/Funding Number: RR&D)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No