JOURNAL OF AGING PSYCHOLOGY
Year:2020 | Volume:6 | Issue:2|Papers Count:6

The process of aging seems inevitable to all living creatures, including humans. Self-care and life expectancy are two main concepts in aging and have good results in providing, maintaining and promoting elderly health. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of behavioral activation intervention in increasing self-care behaviors and life expectancy in the elderly. A quasi-experimental research method with pretest, posttest and control group with a 3-month follow-up was used in this study. The statistical population of the study included all elderly people over 60 in Tehran. The participants included 24 individuals and were selected through purposive method according to the inclusion criteria. They were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups (n=12). The experimental group received 8 sessions of behavioral activation intervention and the control group did not receive any intervention. Hemmati Maslak Pak's questionnaire on the self-care ability of the elderly and Schneider's life expectancy questionnaire were used to collect the required data. Finally, the collected data were analyzed by SPSS version 22 software in two levels of descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (univariate analysis of covariance). Statistical results showed the significant effectiveness of behavioral activation intervention on increasing the life expectancy of the elderly and increasing their self-care behaviors,these results were consistent after a 3-month follow-up (p<0. 05). According to the findings of the study, behavioral activation intervention can be considered as one of the effective psychological interventions in increasing self-care behaviors and life expectancy in the elderly.

Aging is associated with unavoidable changes in cognitive abilities. Therefore, considering the aging of the population and the importance of cognitive functions at this sensitive age, identifying the factors affecting cognitive ability among elderly to strengthen their cognitive functions deserves attention. The present study aimed to investigate the role of self-transcendence, self-compassion and positive affect in predicting cognitive ability in elderly. It was a descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population of this study included all elderly (60 to 70 year) in Kerman from 2019 to 2020. 208 elderly participants were selected using convenience sampling from Kerman Province Retirement Association. The research instruments were Nejati Cognitive Ability Questionnaire, Neff Compassion Scale, and Levinson Self-Transcendence Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression. The results of Pearson correlation coefficient showed the significant positive relationship between self-transcendence and cognitive ability in the elderly. Besides, a significant positive relationship was reported between self-compassion and cognitive ability in the elderly. Furthermore, these results also suggested a significant positive relationship between positive affect and cognitive ability in elderly. The results of regression analysis also showed that self-transcendence and positive affect can positively predict cognitive ability in elderly. However, self-compassion was not a predictor of cognitive ability in elderly. Therefore, using therapeutic techniques based on self-transcendence theory and providing therapeutic interventions based on increasing positive affect, it is possible to promote cognitive ability and prevent cognitive failures in elderly.

Given the growing number of elderly population, the importance of old age and the problems this age group faces in the society, such as death anxiety (DA), identifying and comparing interventions to improve elderlies’,mental health, treatment and rehabilitation seems required in elderly-related researches. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of psychodrama, reminiscence and Allis’, s rational-emotional and behavioral therapy (REBT) on DA in the elderly. It was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design and control group. The statistical papulation included all male elderly with DA residing in nursing homes in Kermanshah, Iran. At first, selected through convenience sampling was a center in which 40 elderlies were selected according to inclusion criteria and randomly divided to three experimental and one control groups. Psychodrama group received 12 sessions of 60 minutes within a period of one and half months, reminiscence group received 10 sessions of 90 minutes within a period of five weeks and REBT group received eight twice a week sessions within a period of one month. Templar’, s short psychology and DA questionnaires were used to collect the required data. The results from univariate covariance analysis (ANCOVA) indicated that all three treatments were significantly effective in reducing DA (P<0. 05). Likewise, the results of LSD post hoc test showed the significant difference between psychodrama and reminiscence (P<0. 01) and between psychodrama and REBT (P<0. 01). Though the difference was not significant between reminiscence and REBT in decreasing of DA among elderly (P<0. 01). Hence, psychologists in elderly domain can utilize these interventions, specifically psychodrama, to reduce DA in aged people.

At the onset of aging, people gradually lose some of their physical, psychological and social functions. Mental health and emotional status seem to be the most important factors in predicting the level of performance of the elderly, and improving the mental and emotional state of the elderly helps them maintain their optimal social performance despite physical problems. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of psychodrama on social adjustment and subjective well-being in the elderly. The research was a quasi-experimental included pre-test and post-test design with control group. The statistical population of this study was the elderly of daily nursing homes of Tehran in 2019 to 2020. Having Completed Bell’, s Social Adjustment Inventory, Diner’, s Life Satisfaction Scale and the Lubmirsky & Leper’, s Actual happiness scale, 30 elderlies with the lowest score in each item were selected and randomly assigned into experimental and control groups (15 people in each group). The experimental group receive ten 90-minute sessions of psychodrama training, and the control group did not receive any intervention at the same time. The results of Univariate Covariance Analysis (ANCOVA) showed significant positive effect of psychodrama on the subjective well-being of the elderly, but its effect on social adjustment of the elderly was not significant. Based on the findings of this study, psychodrama could be used as an appropriate method to increase the well-being of the elderly as psychodrama allowed people through role-playing to release their thoughts, hidden motivation and emotional states such as anger, sadness and happiness. Likewise, they could expose their inner thoughts and inner demands.

Having psychological capital enables people to not only cope better with stressful situations, but also have less stress and have more ability to cope with problems. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy and existentialism therapy on increasing psychological capital in the elderly. The current research was a quasi-experimental with pre-experimental-post-experimental with control group design. The statistical population of the present study included all members of the Bojnourd retirement association in 2020, who were at least 60 years old. The sample of the study included 45 age individuals who selected through targeted sampling as well as inclusion criteria and assigned randomely into two experimental groups (15 people in each group) and one control group (15 people). The research tool was the Luthans’, s psychological capital questionnaire. Acceptance and commitment therapy package was delivered in eight 90-minute sessions and existential therapy in ten 90-minute sessions for experimental groups. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc test using SPSS-22. The results indicated acceptance and commitment therapy and existential therapy were effective in increasing participants' psychological capital. Therefore, aforementioned therapies can be used to increase the psychological capital of the aged people.

The phenomenon of aging is the result of the natural course of time that results in physiological, psychological and social changes. Maintaining the ability and life satisfaction of the elderly, despite the inevitable changes in their condition, can be effective in promoting communities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to consider the effectiveness of positivism training on life satisfaction and character strengths in the elderly men. It was a quasi-experimental study with pretest, posttest and control group design. The statistical population of the study included all elderly men who were retirees of Oil Company in Khoram Abad in 2020. The samples of this study consisted of 30 men elderlies (60-70 age) selected using convenience sampling and according to inclusion criteria. The experimental group received eight ninety-minute sessions during two months while the control group didn’, t receive any intervention during conducting the study. The applied questionnaires in the study included Character Strengths Scale and Life Satisfaction Scale. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis of covariance in SPSS-22 software. The results showed that there was significant difference between experimental and control groups in terms of life satisfaction and character strengths (P<0. 001). In other words, positivism training resulted in life satisfaction and character strengths in the elderly men. According to the findings of the current study, positivism training can be suggested as an effective method in order to increase life satisfaction and character strengths in the elderly men.