Effectiveness of a Community-Based Group Counseling Intervention for Adults at High Risk of Depression in Vietnam

Abstract

Depression is a global public health concern; however, access to adequate care remains limited, particularly in low-resource settings. This single-arm community-based intervention implemented in Vietnam aimed to enhance primary health care staff’s (PHS) capacity to deliver non-pharmacological treatment. Mental health specialists trained PHS and village health collaborators (VHCs) in screening and group counseling based on behavioral activation (BA) therapy. Village health collaborators screened 2000 purposively selected adults using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) and subsequently referred individuals with scores ≥2 for further assessment with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Those scoring ≥10 were enrolled in an 8-week group counseling program. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores were measured biweekly and analyzed using mixed-effects models. Of 2000 individuals screened, 172 (8.6%) were identified as at risk, 85% of whom were female. Following the intervention, the mean PHQ-9 score decreased from 12.9 to 5.5, with an average weekly reduction of 0.89 points. These findings highlight the potential role of primary health care stations in community-based mental health care.