This research project is in progress. PCORI will post the research findings on this page within 90 days after the results are final.

What is the research about?

Depression can increase the risk of heart attack and death in people with heart disease. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a treatment for depression in which patients learn to change patterns in their thinking to improve how they feel. But people living in rural areas may have a hard time traveling to in-person therapy sessions. Also, few CBT providers may be available in rural areas.

In this study, the research team is comparing two ways to treat depressive symptoms in people with heart disease living in rural areas:

• Video conferencing CBT, in which patients have virtual sessions with therapists
• Self-administered CBT, in which patients complete an online therapy program on their own

Who can this research help?

Results may help patients with heart disease and doctors when considering ways to use CBT to treat depressive symptoms remotely.

What is the research team doing?

The research team is enrolling 300 patients with depressive symptoms and heart disease who live in rural Kentucky. The team is assigning patients by chance to receive video conferencing CBT or self-administered CBT.

The research team is surveying patients at the start of the study and again 3, 6, and 12 months later. Surveys ask about:

• Depressive symptoms
• Treatment satisfaction
• Perceived stigma related to depression
• Diet quality
• Physical activity
• If patients take their medicine as directed

The research team is comparing these outcomes between the two types of CBT and between men and women.

Patients with heart disease and depression, mental health providers, mental health advocates, and rural healthcare providers are helping to plan and conduct this study.

Research methods at a glance