The effect of occupational therapy on anxiety, depression, and psychological well-being in older adults: a single-blind randomized-controlled study

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.

CLINICALTRIALS

GOV ID

NCT05576558.

Internal Consistency of Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS 15-Item Version) in Ecuadorian Older Adults

The present study aimed to assess the validity of a Spanish version of the Geriatric Depression-15 Scale (GDS-15) in Ecuadorian adults. Cross-sectional study to validate GDS-15 in its short version (GDS-15). Internal consistency and factor structure were assessed through Kuder Richardson 20 and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. A total of 211 subjects 65 years of age and older participated in the validation process. Internal consistency was adequate, the Kuder Richardson 20 coefficient for the total scale was 0.73. Three factor structure was found for the scale. This study highlights the importance of having a validated scale for screening depression in the elderly. This study provides an evidence for the use of GDS-15 in Ecuadorian elderly population to screen for depression.

The evaluation and design of a short depression screening tool in Turkish older adults

ABSTRACTIntroduction:Depression is a common and serious healthcare problem for older adults. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of GDS-4 and GDS-5 in Turkish, and to establish a new short-form Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) for our population, and also determine the superiority of each short scale to another.

METHODS

A total of 437 outpatients were enrolled in the study. A researcher evaluated all participants according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fifth edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria, and then another researcher applied GDS-15 to all participants. We obtained the answers of short GDS forms, examined in this study, from GDS-15 forms. After Cohen's κ analysis, we compared the diagnostic value of each question for geriatric depression according to their κ values, and developed three (TGDS-3), four (TGDS-4), five (TGDS-5), and six (TGDS-6) question scales to screen geriatric depression in Turkish population.

RESULTS

A total of 437 participants were assessed. The mean age (SD) of the patients was 72.95 years (7.37).Cronbach's α values of GDS-4 and GDS-5 were 0.70. The best cut-off values were ≥5 for GDS-15 and GDS-5, and ≥1 for others.

DISCUSSION

GDS-15 is the most powerful screening scale for geriatric depression. GDS-4 and GDS-5 are not eligible for depression screening in Turkish older adults. All new short scales are valid and reliable, and TGDS-4 is a practical, less time-consuming option for daily practice.