Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although a large number of adults with intellectual disabilities have depressive symptoms, non-pharmacological treatments are scarce. The present authors investigated whether bright light therapy (BLT) is effective in decreasing depressive symptoms compared to care as usual.
METHODS: This multicentre randomized controlled trial consisted of three study groups (10,000 lux BLT, dim light BLT and a no-BLT group). Participants received BLT for 30 min in the morning (14 consecutive days), additional to their regular care. Primary outcome was as follows: depressive symptoms measured with the ADAMS Depressive Mood subscale 1 week after the end of BLT (same time period in the no-BLT group).
RESULTS: Forty-one participants were included in our trial. In both BLT groups, a significant decrease in depressive symptoms was seen. No significant differences were found between 10,000 lux BLT and no-BLT (p = .199) and no significant differences between dim light BLT and no-BLT (p = .451). A minimum amount of side effects and no adverse events were reported.
CONCLUSIONS: In both BLT interventions, a decrease in depressive symptoms was seen. With 10,000 lux BLT, depressive symptoms decreased even below the clinical cut-off point, which makes BLT a promising intervention for clinical practice.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1428-1439 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2020 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Adult
- Affect
- Depression/therapy
- Humans
- Intellectual Disability/therapy
- Phototherapy
- Treatment Outcome