A brief group intervention based on fairy tales yielded improvements in well-being and sleep quality in nursing home residents, who enjoyed and appreciated its content. These promising results need to be confirmed by future randomized controlled trials.

Background and aim Recent investigations pointed out to the important role of well-being in influencing physical and mental health, with robust findings for the dimension of depression. The aim of this systematic review is to provide an updated summary of articles focused on eudaimonia and depression, including psychosocial interventions that addressed both issues. Method The literature search was performed by entering the keywords: “eudaimonia” OR “eudaimonic well-being (EWB)” and “depression” and by limiting to “journal article” and to the English language. To be included in this, review articles had to present at least one EWB measure and one depression measure, and had to investigate young and adult populations, including populations with mental health disorders. Articles were excluded if they were published before 2014. Results Thirty-four articles were included, with a total of 81,987 participants. About the majority of participants were recruited in two twin studies, followed by college students, and by adults belonging to the general and clinical populations. Sixteen different instruments assessed eudaimonia, being Ryff’s psychological well-being scale the most frequently used. The most used instrument for assessing depression was the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, followed by Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. The studies confirmed the robust, inverse correlation between eudaimonia and depression, which was only partially explained by genetic common factors and which was mediated by other factors, as self-compassion, personality traits, and defense mechanisms. Various interventions were found to be effective both in promoting eudaimonia and in addressing depression, ranging from cognitive-behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness, to positive psychotherapy. Conclusion Clinicians, counselors, and practitioners can select different strategies to promote EWB and to address depression. The findings also suggest the need for a larger consensus on the definition of eudaimonia and on the specific measure(s) to evaluate it in different populations and in different life stages.

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Objectives:This study aimed to measure the effect of a treatment of adapted physical activity (APA) on motor symptoms and on positive psychological resources in a group of patients with PD. Methods: 37 patients with PD (M age= 71.5; 70.3% male) completed measures of disability level, motor performance, distress, well-being, and quality of life before and after participating in a program of APA (duration: 7 months). Analysis of variance - repeated measures was performed to evaluate the effect of APA on disability, distress, and well-being. Results: After intervention, patients reported significant improvements in their motor autonomy, disability level, psychological distress, and in life appreciation. Discussion: A brief physical activity program was beneficial not only to patients’ motor functioning, but also to their mental health, by reducing distress and promoting life appreciation.