the effect of reminiscence group therapy on the depression of the elderlies in nursing homes of urmia

the effect of reminiscence group therapy on the depression of the elderlies in nursing homes of urmia    musavi m [1] , hemmati maslakpak m [2] *, sheikhi s [3] , sheikhi n [4]     received: 22 may , 2013 accepted: 12 aug , 2013     abstract   background & aims : today, with medical advances and higher levels of health, number of elderly people has increased. mental disorder by serious depression, anxiety and social isolation is prevalent in the elderly. the aim of this study was to evaluate of reminiscence group therapy effect on the depression of elderlies in 4 different nursing homes of urmia.   materials & methods : this study was an experimental study in which elderly people in nursing homes of ferdous, azahra, ara and khane sabz after having the conditions to be included in the study were enrolled. after balancing the two groups, they were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. reminiscence group therapy sessions in the intervention group at each center consisted of 8 sessions, held twice a week. geriatric depression scale questionnaire were completed by seniors both before and after the intervention. the data analyzed by using spss software.   results: results showed that the mean of depression decreased in the intervention group after group reminiscence therapy. the difference between mean numbers of the intervention and control groups was statistically significant (p<0/001) comparing before to after intervention.   conclusion: implementing of reminiscence group therapy had a positive influence on the depression of elderlies. this technique can be used in a simple, inexpensive and applicable way in all nursing homes.   key words: group therapy, reminiscence, depression, elders     address: nursing and midwifery faculty, urmia university of medical sciences, urmia, iran   tel: (+98) 441 2754961   email : [email protected]   [1] nursing msc student, urmia university of medical sciences, urmia, iran  [2] phd of nursing, urmia university of medical sciences, urmia, iran (corresponding author)   [3] assistant professor , department of psychiatry, urmia university of medical sciences   [4] expert of urmia university of medical sciences, urmia, iran