The Effectiveness of Life Review Therapy on Decrease of Depression Symptoms in Elderly Women

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of life review therapy on depression reduction of elder women of Yazd. Methods & Materials: Method of the research was semi-experimental design by pre-post test with a control group. Research population consisted of the elder women who were nursing home residents in Yazd. The Fateme_Alzahra nursing home of Taft was randomly selected from all the 3 nursing homes in Yazd province. Depressive symptoms were assessed by Geriatreric Depression Scale (GDS-15) before and after the intervention. The sample of 16 people who scored 8 or more in GDS-15, were randomly assigned into two groups of control (8 people) and experiment (8 people). six sessions of group therapy performed on the experimental group during 6 weeks based on the research format. Results: Analysis of covariance showed level of depression among the subjects of experimental group significantly decreased. Conclusion: Findings indicate that life review therapy is effective in reducing depressive symptoms of elder women. In comparison with traditional therapies, the life review therapy is more effective and is recommend for elders.