Community-based interventions to address depression, anxiety, sleep problems and substance use disorders among older adults in lower middle-income countries: a systematic review

Abstract

Background

Using improved healthcare services has increased life expectancy in the ageing population, increasing physical and mental health burdens. Because of many limitations, older adults fail to attend mental health care services at the designated health centres. Thus, a community-based approach to dealing with mental health problems would have been ideal for this population, which has been tried in some high-income countries. This systematic review was conducted to find out the community-based mental health interventions to address some of the common mental health disorders among older adults in Lower Middle-income Countries.

Materials and methods

Based on PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024503470), the research question was split up into PICOS components. Three databases viz. PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Central were searched. AXIS, ROBINS I, and ROBINS II tools were used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies.

Results

A total of 9 eligible studies were included in this systematic review. Problem-solving therapy and Laughter therapy with physical exercise have been effective in reducing symptoms of depression among older adults. Reminiscence Therapy resulted in improvements in sleep quality. Daycare programs have been shown to enhance the overall mental well-being of older adults. No studies were identified addressing the community-based interventions for anxiety and substance use disorder.

Conclusion

Lastly, there is a need for urgent implementation of community-based mental health interventions, particularly among older adults in LMICs, since, at present, there are not enough focused interventions aimed at catering to their mental health needs.