The Effectiveness of Cognitive - Existential Group Therapy on Reducing Demoralization in the Elderly

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: Elderly people face existential issues such as death, loss of meaning in life, fear of death, lack of life and last chances. If people, cannot effectively confront it, this loss of meaning in life, will form the main core of a set of syndromes that are called "demoralization". This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-existential therapy on reducing demoralization in the elderly. Method: The present study was carried out using a pretest-posttest semi-experimental design with control group and random assignment. The statistical population included all the elderly women in Yas Daily Rehabilitation Center. In this study, 22 people were selected through non-random sampling and after answering the demoralization scale (Kissane, 2004) and Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire (Abdollahzade et al. 2010 quoted from Farmani-Shahreza et al. 2016) they were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (each group included 11 people). The experimental group participated in 12 cognitive-emotional group therapy sessions (each session 90 minutes) once a week, but the control group did not receive any intervention. The collected data were processed using SPSS-20 software to calculate covariance analysis. Results: The results showed a significant reduction in the demoralization and cognitive distortions compared to the pretest. Also, in a two month follow-up session, demoralization andcognitive distortion scores were significantly reduced compared to pretest. Conclusion: Cognitive existential group therapy on the one hand, due to addressing the existential issues of the elderly, and, on the other hand, working with their irrational beliefs and replacing rational beliefs, can have an effect on reducing of the demoralization syndrome in the elderly.

A study of stress, anxiety, and depression in nursing home residents and non-residents

“…Investigations into mental health issues affecting this population have revealed that mental health is a major concern among the elderly. During this stage of life, common complaints among the elderly include feelings of loneliness, fatigue, boredom, unimportance, and insomnia (6)(7)(8). Loneliness, rejection from family members, depression, and insecurity are all negative mental consequences of living in a nursing home (9,10).…”