Effectiveness of a Volunteer-Led Crafts Group Intervention amongst Mild to Moderately Depressed Indian Women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a volunteer led crafts group intervention (VLCG) as an adjunct to antidepressant medication on mild to moderately depressed women. A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent, control group study was conducted in an urban, psychiatric clinic. Depression was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scale. At baseline, the mean BDI scores were similar between the VLCG and the Control group (CG). There were no significant differences with the BDI‘s score after six weeks of VLCG intervention (p=0.291). After 12 weeks of interventions, the BDI scores for the VLCG was reduced, whilst the CG participants had an increase in their levels of depression. VLCG intervention as an adjunct to antidepressant medication was effective in reducing the levels of depression. Keywords: Depressed women, volunteer-led crafts group intervention, Beck Depression Inventory scale, effectivenessGender & Behaviour, 10(2), December 2012