Group Therapy for Depressed Elderly Women

Abstract

We describe and evaluate a group therapy program targeting depression among elderly residents (N=303) of subsidized high-rise apartments in Nashville, TN. This eclectic program was comprised of 12 sessions (a total of 24 hours) that included modules on exercise and preventive health behaviors, cognitive and re-motivation therapy, reminiscence and grief therapy, and social skills development. Our multivariate regression analyses of pre-post measures using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) showed that the effects of the group therapy varied by race, age, and level of initial depression among the participants. The program was effective in reducing depression, but only among Caucasian women who reported at least moderate depression prior to the program, and it yielded greater benefits for women between 55 and 75 years of age.

Effect of integrative reminiscence therapy on depression, well-being, integrity, self-esteem, and life satisfaction in older adults

“…Applying this type of intervention is of not only social, but also therapeutic and clinical importance. These results are consistent with those of other studies that likewise observed significant increases in self-esteem (Bohlmeijer et al, 2003;Hsieh & Wang, 2003;Husaini et al, 2004;Pinquart et al, 2007;Wang, 2007) following integrative reminiscence therapy.…”

The effects of reminiscence therapy on psychological well‐being, depression, and loneliness among the institutionalized aged

“…Furthermore, reminiscence therapy is successful in improving one's comprehension skills and in boosting self-esteem, to ease the feeling of depression and hopelessness, and to enhance self-integration. Many studies point out the positive effects of reminiscence therapy and highlight its effectiveness in the easing of depressed feelings (Bohlmeijer et al, 2003;Hsieh and Wang, 2003;Husaini et al, 2004;Wang, 2005;Pinquart et al, 2007), it is also known to be beneficial to an aged persons psychological well-being (Tatchell and Jordan, 2004;McKee et al, 2005;Zauszniewski et al, 2006), it assists to ease feelings of loneliness , and can ameliorate negative emotions and anxiety (Chou et al, 2008). Reminiscence therapy does have a role in the maintenance of self-esteem (Lin et al, 2003;Chao et al, 2006;Nomura and Hashimoto, 2006), self-value (Baker, 1985), better coping skills (Nugent, 1995), increased satisfaction with life (Cook, 1998;Lin et al, 2003), enhanced self-integration (Stinson and Kirk, 2006;Zauszniewski et al, 2006), enhancement of functional activities (Kovach and Henschel, 1996;Woods et al, 2005;Zauszniewski et al, 2006), improved social functions and activities (King, 1982;Cook, 1991), prevention of behavioral problems (Kovach and Henschel, 1996), and in the effective care of the aged person (Shellman, 2007).…”

Depression Interventions Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Older Adults: A Systematic Review Across 20 Years

“…An additional two articles were identified(50, 51) that reported depression treatment outcomes for an elderly minority sample as defined by the authors (i.e., age 50+ and age 55+, respectively) with mean age scores over 60 years. Thus, seven studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis (see Table 2).…”

“…Studies included data from one or more of the following treatment settings: primary care clinics(45–47, 50), social services agencies(49), inpatient settings(48), subsidized housing(51), and home care(47). …”

“…The study by Ell and associates(47) compared younger vs. older respondents in a pooled analyses of three collaborative care studies based on one home health care system and two primary care safety net clinics that provide service to poor and uninsured populations. The three remaining studies incorporated group therapy for women in subsidized housing(51), behavioral treatment for inpatient rehabilitation patients(48), and community-based interventions for frail older adults in senior programs(49). …”