Depression in Old AgePeers plusNCT05611996
PEERS Plus mHealth Enhanced Peer Support
A study testing Peers plus in people with Depression in Old Age, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this intervention study is to design and learn whether peer support that is delivered through video chats and texts can decrease depression among older adults. Participants will be assigned to a peer support program where they will receive 8 video chats with a peer mentor who provide social support and… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 50 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Depression in Old Age
- What is being tested?
- Peers plus
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 34 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 15 Dec 2022to 17 Jan 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 50 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 50 years and older
- PHQ-9 score > 5,
- on the same antidepressant dose for at least 3 months
- if receiving psychotherapy, frequency is at most once a month
- able to communicate in English
- able to give informed consent.
Who cannot join
- meet diagnostic criteria for mania or hypomania
- active suicidal ideation
- meet diagnostic criteria for psychotic syndrome
- meet diagnostic criteria for substance abuse or dependence
- cognitive impairment, with a score on the Short Blessed Test > 9.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, 02114
About this study
Official title: PEERS Plus - mHealth Enhanced Peer Support to Reduce Depression Among Low-income and Ethnic Minority Older Adults
The goal of this intervention study is to design and learn whether peer support that is delivered through video chats and texts can decrease depression among older adults. Participants will be assigned to a peer support program where they will receive 8 video chats with a peer mentor who provide social support and supportive texts over 8 weeks.
Read the detailed description
PEERS plus is a psychosocial intervention being developed to reduce depression among older adults. In this intervention peer mentors who are also 50 years of age and older and who have experiential knowledge of depression provide depression care. Older adults with depression will be recruited and assigned to the peer support program. This will consist of 8 weekly peer mentor - older adult video chats that provide emotional support and sharing of self-care skills for depression. Supportive texts will be sent on a weekly basis to older adults by peer mentors. These texts will provide encouragement, affirmations and information about mental health resources. Peer mentors are trained and supervised by a mental health professional during the 8 week period. We will assess at baseline, post study and 3 months after the intervention.
- Conditions
- Depression in Old Age
- Being tested
- Peers plus
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Peers plusBehavioural
Peer support intervention in which peer mentors who have experiential knowledge of depression deliver social support through video chats and texts to older adults with depression.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Peer support | Other | Peer mentors who have experienced depression provide social support through video chats and texts for 8 weeks. Receives: Behavioral: Peers plus |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Intervention Feasibility
Proportion of the participants who complete 80% of their weekly meetings with the peer coach.
Measured: 18 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Nov 2022
- Study start15 Dec 2022
- Primary completion17 Jan 2025
- Study completion17 Jan 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for Depression in Old AgeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Massachusetts General HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- A cohort of 20 older adults will be assigned to the Peer plus program for 8 weeks, without a comparison group.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 34 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Jin hui Joo, MD, MA, Massachusetts General Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05611996
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2022P001984
- Acronym
- Peers plus
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 3 Nov 2022
- Last updated
- 8 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 8 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- PEERS Plus - mHealth Enhanced Peer Support to Reduce Depression Among Low-income and Ethnic Minority Older Adults
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05611996
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Peers plus / 2022P001984
- Conditions
- Depression in Old Age
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 34 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts General HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Study start
- 15 Dec 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 17 Jan 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 17 Jan 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 10 Nov 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 8 Oct 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this intervention study is to design and learn whether peer support that is delivered through video chats and texts can decrease depression among older adults. Participants will be assigned to a peer support program where they will receive 8 video chats with a peer mentor who provide social support and supportive texts over 8 weeks.
Detailed description
PEERS plus is a psychosocial intervention being developed to reduce depression among older adults. In this intervention peer mentors who are also 50 years of age and older and who have experiential knowledge of depression provide depression care. Older adults with depression will be recruited and assigned to the peer support program. This will consist of 8 weekly peer mentor - older adult video chats that provide emotional support and sharing of self-care skills for depression. Supportive texts will be sent on a weekly basis to older adults by peer mentors. These texts will provide encouragement, affirmations and information about mental health resources. Peer mentors are trained and supervised by a mental health professional during the 8 week period. We will assess at baseline, post study and 3 months after the intervention.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- A cohort of 20 older adults will be assigned to the Peer plus program for 8 weeks, without a comparison group.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Peer support | Other | Behavioral: Peers plusPeer mentors who have experienced depression provide social support through video chats and texts for 8 weeks. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 50 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- 50 years and older
- PHQ-9 score > 5,
- on the same antidepressant dose for at least 3 months
- if receiving psychotherapy, frequency is at most once a month
- able to communicate in English
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- meet diagnostic criteria for mania or hypomania
- active suicidal ideation
- meet diagnostic criteria for psychotic syndrome
- meet diagnostic criteria for substance abuse or dependence
- cognitive impairment, with a score on the Short Blessed Test > 9.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Peers plusPeer support intervention in which peer mentors who have experiential knowledge of depression deliver social support through video chats and texts to older adults with depression. | Behavioural | Peer support |
Primary outcome
Intervention Feasibility
Time frame: 18 months
Proportion of the participants who complete 80% of their weekly meetings with the peer coach.
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 8 Oct 2025.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Depression in Old Age
Not yet recruiting
Cognitive Enhancement in Recurrent Depression (The COG-D-R Study)
Aging, Depression
Recruiting
Effectiveness of Health Communication on Depression Elderly in Ho Chi Minh City
Depression - Major Depressive Disorder
RecruitingPhase 3
A Study of Seltorexant as Monotherapy in Adults and Elderly Participants With Major Depressive Disorder
Depressive Disorder, Major
Active, not recruiting
Neurophysiological RCT of Qigong in Elderly With Depression
Depression
RecruitingPhase 3
Phase 3 Study of Adjunctive Treatment With Seltorexant in Adult and Elderly Participants With Major Depressive Disorder and Insomnia Symptoms
Depressive Disorder, Major
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Peers plus in people with Depression in Old Age, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Oct 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 8 Oct 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Intervention Feasibility (time frame: 18 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 Oct 2025.