Background: Given the high prevalence of depression in elderly people, appropriate interventions are essential. This study aimed to assess the effects of auriculotherapy on depression among elderly people.

Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in 2021. Fifty-two elderly were conveniently selected and randomly allocated to the sham (n = 26) and intervention (n = 26) groups through block randomization. The intervention group was subjected to four weeks of auriculotherapy at the Shen-Men, zero, heart, antidepressant, and master cerebral points using Vaccaria seeds fixed with adhesive tape. In the sham group, adhesive tapes were attached to the points with neither seeds nor compression. The elderly and data collector were blinded. The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depression before, immediately after, and four weeks after the intervention (T1-T3). The statistical methods used were repeated measures analysis of variance and covariance.

Results: Groups significantly differed concerning participants' gender, education, and employment (p < 0.05). After adjusting for confounding effects, the time-group interaction significantly affected the mean depression score (p < 0.0001, effect size = 0.54). There was no significant difference between the depression score in the sham and intervention groups at T1 (9.6 ± 2.5 vs 9.5 ± 2.5, p = 0.263); however, this difference was found to be significant at T2 (8.6 ± 2 vs 4.2 ± 1.2, p < 0.0001, effect size = 0.68) and T3 (9.3 ± 2.3 vs 4.3 ± 1.3, p < 0.0001, effect size = 0.65). Within-group analysis revealed significant differences in the depression scores of the intervention group at T1 compared with those at T2 and T3 (p < 0.05). In contrast, the mean depression score in the sham group at T2 was significantly lower than that at T1 (p = 0.003) and greater than that at T3 (p = 0.049).

Conclusions: Auriculotherapy alleviates depression and can be used as a complementary therapy for elderly people with depression.