Community Partnered Approach to Implement Depression Screening in Black Churches

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PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT African American adults (AAs), compared to White adults, are half as likely to be screened for depression in primary care settings. Disparities in depression screening contribute to poor clinical outcomes, as AAs with depression are more disabled, sicker longer, and less likely to seek treatment compared to Whites. Black churches are trusted settings that provide “de facto” mental health services for depression. Indeed, in the first study of its kind, the study team found that 20% of adults in Black churches screened positive for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). However, no subjects with a positive screen (PHQ-9 ≥10) accepted a treatment referral when offered by research coordinators onsite for each screening. Community Health Workers (CHWs), who are trusted para-professionals from the target community, may bridge the gap between depression screening and treatment. We have trained and certified 102 CHWs from 42 Black churches in Harlem to deliver an evidence-based intervention called Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), which is centered on culturally tailored Motivational Interviewing (MI). Thus, the scientific premise of this study is that employing CHWs to implement depression screening in Black churches will bridge the gap between church-based depression-screening and engagement with clinical providers. Using a Hybrid Type 1 Effectiveness- Implementation design, we propose a 2-arm, mixed-methods Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial within 30 Black churches our CHWs currently attend. Based on our pilot data, we expect 20% of adults (n=600) to have a positive depression screen. Adults will be randomized based on church study site to either SBIRT (n=15 churches) or Referral As Usual (RAU, n=15 churches). We will then compare the effectiveness of SBIRT (Intervention arm) to RAU (Usual Care arm) on treatment engagement (primary outcome), defined as attending a depression-related clinical visit for which the subject reported receiving information, referral, counseling, or medication for depression (Aim 1). We will then compare changes in Mental Health Related Quality of Life and depressive symptoms (secondary outcomes) at 3- and 6-months post-screening (Aim 2). Finally, we will conduct a concurrent, mixed-methods (qualitative-quantitative) process evaluation to assess contextual facilitators and barriers of screening and referral (Aim 3). This study has potential for large-scale public health impact as 20 to 22 million Americans attend the 65,000 to 70,000 Black churches in the U.S.