Staff story: researching depression and loneliness during COVID-19
Emma Donaldson, Lead Clinical Research Practitioner for Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, is working on the Behavioural Activation in Social IsoLation (BASIL+) study into helping people aged 65 and over with long-term health conditions deal with depression and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are the aims of the BASIL+ study?
It aims to evaluate whether sessions with a support worker can help older people with long-term health conditions to mitigate depression and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why is it important to carry out this research?
Older adults with long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart problems have an increased risk of depression. The pandemic has affected how we go about our daily lives and this has led to people having no or minimal interaction with friends or family outside of their households. Some people with conditions have also been shielding and have not left their homes to stay protected from the virus. So the pandemic has made people feel fearful and anxious about going out and socialising, which has reinforced feelings of isolation and loneliness. People with long-term conditions have also not had the same access to healthcare during the pandemic due to pressures on the NHS. So it’s really important to look at how people with long-term conditions have been affected by the pandemic so we can give them the right support.
What does the study involve?
People can only take part if their GP practice is registered and taking part in the study. The practices contact anyone they think might be suitable to take part and then if they are happy to be contacted by our team, we will give them a call, provide them with more information about the study and go through some screening questions to ensure the study is right for them. We will then complete a questionnaire with them to see how they are doing and we use that information to see how they are progressing later on in the trial. The participant will then be randomised to one of two groups with equal chance of being in either group. Those in group one will be given up to eight sessions with a support worker, which will take place over a two to three month period. Group two will be signposted to information on how to maintain their health and wellbeing. All participants will also complete questionnaires to see how they are doing compared to when they began the study.
What do the support workers do?
They provide support to participants to engage in activities they currently enjoy or introduce them to new activities and to try to re-integrate them back into their social networks if they are feeling isolated.
Why is mental health research important during a pandemic?
Every single person has seen the impact of this pandemic in one way or another, whether they have lost a job, been homeschooling their children, had to deal with more pressures at work or sadly lost a loved one. People have also been isolated from friends and family. These situations would be stressful in usual circumstances, but add in a pandemic and the emotions can be heightened. It’s really important that we look at how the pandemic has impacted mental health so we can put in place the right support for those affected.
For more information, visit the study website.
