Eur Geriatr Med. 2023 Dec 16. doi: 10.1007/s41999-023-00900-z. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of occupational therapy on anxiety, depression, and psychological well-being in older adults.
METHODS: This study is a single-blind, randomized-controlled prospective experimental study conducted with 84 older adult individuals, 41 in the intervention group and 43 in the control group, in a nursing home. Occupational therapy was applied to the patients in the intervention group, and all patients were followed for a week. In the study, data were collected using the Participant Information Form, Geriatric Anxiety Scale, Psychological Well-Being Scale, and Geriatric Depression Scale.
RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 68 years in the intervention group and 70 years in the control group. While 65.9% of the participants in the experimental group were male, 65.1% of the control group was male. The post-test anxiety scores of the participants were lower in the intervention group than in the control group (7.0 ± 4.2 vs. 16.7 ± 10.9) (p < 0.001). The post-test psychological well-being scores of the participants were higher in the intervention group than in the control group (47.9 ± 6.8 vs. 38.4 ± 6.5) (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the depression scores of the intervention group and the control group (6.9 ± 3.7 vs. 6.2 ± 5.4) (p = 0.468).
CONCLUSIONS: In this study, it was determined that after occupational therapy was applied to older adults, their anxiety decreased and their psychological well-being increased, while there was no statistically significant difference in their depression levels. Occupational therapy, with a focus on decreasing anxiety, is a potential approach that can improve older adults’ health, psychological well-being, and coping skills.
GOV ID: NCT05576558.
PMID:38103144 | DOI:10.1007/s41999-023-00900-z
