Behavioural activation in social isolation (BASIL+): Benefiting from activities while you socially isolate to help your mood and wellbeing

Conditions

Depression and loneliness in older adults with physical health conditions Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Elizabeth Newbronner, Kate Bosanquet, Peter Coventry, Leanne Shearsmith, Elizabeth Littlewood et al. (13 authors)

PLOS mental health.2025-01-23

10.1371/journal.pmen.0000105

2783 Addressing depression and loneliness in older adults: findings from the BASIL+ randomised control trial

Elizabeth Littlewood, Lucy Atha, Della Bailey, Eloise Ryde, Leanne Shearsmith et al. (29 authors)

Age and Ageing2025-01-01

10.1093/ageing/afae277.125

Behavioural activation to mitigate the psychological impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on older people in England and Wales (BASIL+): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

Gilbody S, Littlewood E, McMillan D, Atha L, Bailey D, Baird K, Brady S, Burke L, Chew-Graham CA, Coventry P, Crosland S, Fairhurst C, Henry A, Hollingsworth K, Newbronner E, Ryde E, Shearsmith L, Wang HI, Webster J, Woodhouse R, Clegg A, Dexter-Smith S, Gentry T, Hewitt C, Hill A, Lovell K, Sloan C, Traviss-Turner G, Pratt S, Ekers D, BASIL trials collective.

2024-02-0113 citations

10.1016/s2666-7568(23)00238-6

Can we mitigate the psychological impacts of social isolation using behavioural activation? Long-term results of the UK BASIL urgent public health COVID-19 pilot randomised controlled trial and living systematic review.

Littlewood E, McMillan D, Chew Graham C, Bailey D, Gascoyne S, Sloane C, Burke L, Coventry P, Crosland S, Fairhurst C, Henry A, Hewitt C, Baird K, Ryde E, Shearsmith L, Traviss-Turner G, Woodhouse R, Webster J, Meader N, Churchill R, Eddy E, Heron P, Hicklin N, Shafran R, Almeida O, Clegg A, Gentry T, Hill A, Lovell K, Dexter-Smith S, Ekers D, Gilbody S.

2022-10-1211 citations

10.1136/ebmental-2022-300530

Behavioural Activation for Social IsoLation (BASIL+) trial (Behavioural activation to mitigate depression and loneliness among older people with long-term conditions): Protocol for a fully-powered pragmatic randomised controlled trial

Lauren Burke, Elizabeth Littlewood, Samantha Gascoyne, Dean McMillan, Carolyn Chew‐Graham et al. (26 authors)

PLoS ONE2022-03-2412 citations

10.1371/journal.pone.0263856

Behavioural activation to prevent depression and loneliness among socially isolated older people with long-term conditions: The BASIL COVID-19 pilot randomised controlled trial

Simon Gilbody, Elizabeth Littlewood, Dean McMillan, Carolyn Chew‐Graham, Della Bailey et al. (25 authors)

PLoS Medicine2021-10-1270 citations

10.1371/journal.pmed.1003779

Interventions

Participants will be randomly allocated 1:1 to either the behavioural activation intervention group or the usual care with signposting information group. Active intervention: Behavioural Activation

such activities may benefit their physical and emotional wellbeing by helping people to stay connected with the world and remain active. The practitioner (BASIL support worker) and participant work to

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Older adults aged 65 years or over 2. Two or more long-term physical health conditions OR a health condition that may indicate they are within a ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ group in relation to Covid-19 3. Depressive symptoms as indicated by a score of =5 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Have cognitive impairment 2. Have bipolar disorder/psychosis/psychotic symptoms 3. Have alcohol or drug dependence 4. Are in the palliative phase of illness 5. Have active suicidal ideation 6. Are currently receiving psychological therapy 7. Are unable to speak or understand English

Design outcomes

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Measured at baseline, 1, 3 and 12 months post-randomisation (unless otherwise stated): 1. Depression (PHQ9) at baseline, 1 and 12 months post-randomisation 2. Loneliness (De Jong Gierveld Scale - 11 items) 3. Anxiety (GAD-7) 4. Social Networks and Isolation (Lubben Social Network Scale – 6 items) 5. Health-Related Quality of Life (SF-12v2 and EQ5D-3L) 6. A brief bespoke questionnaire will be used to collect health service use data	—

Measure

Time frame

Measured at baseline, 1, 3 and 12 months post-randomisation (unless otherwise stated): 1. Depression (PHQ9) at baseline, 1 and 12 months post-randomisation 2. Loneliness (De Jong Gierveld Scale - 11 items) 3. Anxiety (GAD-7) 4. Social Networks and Isolation (Lubben Social Network Scale – 6 items) 5. Health-Related Quality of Life (SF-12v2 and EQ5D-3L) 6. A brief bespoke questionnaire will be used to collect health service use data

—

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Self-reported depression severity (as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9) at 3 months post-randomisation.	—

Countries

England, United Kingdom, Wales

Contacts

Public ContactLiz Littlewood

liz.littlewood@york.ac.uk+44 (0)1904328182

Outcome results

None listed