The effect of group integrative reminiscence therapy on Iranian elderly mental health at nursing home residents

Introduction: The need to provide quality mental health care for elders in nursing home settings has been a critical issue, as the aging population grows rapidly and institutional care has become a necessity for some elders. The aim of this experimental study was to describe the effect of group integrative reminiscence therapy on mental health in older nursing home residents. Method: Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants who met the study criteria. Participations randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Eight weekly for an hour and a half sessions were designed to elicit reminiscence as group therapy for 42 elders in the experimental group. Two groups of elderly completed Goldberg mental health questionnaire before and one month after the intervention. Data Analysis with SPSS software using descriptive and inferential statistics was performed. Results: Results showed that scores mean of mental health and health dimensions (physical functioning, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction and depression) between the intervention and control groups after the intervention had statistically significant diffarance (P<0/001). Conclusion: Implementing of group integrative reminiscence therapy had a positive influence on mental health of elderlies. Therefore, it is recommended using reminiscence with reminders of events and past experiences for mental health promotion.

کلیدواژه ها:

Group therapy ، Psychotherapy ، Mental health ، Elderly