Preventing depression in older adults with chronic illnesses through the SMART Elderly Program: a quasi-experimental study in Central Thailand

Background: Depression frequently affects older adults with chronic illnesses, reducing their quality of life. In Thailand, limited access to mental health services increases the need for preventive interventions. The SMART (Smile, Mindfulness, Attitude, Relax, and Thinking) Elderly Program aimed to assess its effectiveness in preventing depression among older adults. Methods: Quasi-experimental research design with a repeated-measures approach was used with two groups. The study included 80 older adults diagnosed by a physician with noncommunicable diseases and a depression score of 7 to 12 on the Thai Geriatric Depression Scale (TGDS), indicating risk for depression. Participants were assigned to two groups through multi-stage sampling. The intervention group (n=40) participated in a 6-week SMART Elderly Program, while the control group (n=40) received standard treatment and a handbook for depression prevention. Evaluations took place through in-person interviews at baseline, post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The analysis showed statistically significant differences in knowledge about depression, attitudes toward depression, and TGDS scores between the intervention and control groups at the 3-month follow-up (P