Effectiveness of group reminiscence therapy for depressive symptoms in male veterans: 6-month follow-up
The purpose of this study was to use group reminiscence therapy (GRT) as a nursing intervention to evaluate the post-test, 3-month and 6-month effects on depressive symptoms for institutionalised male veterans after a 4-week intervention. A quasi-experimental design and purposive sampling was conducted at a veteran's nursing home in Northern Taiwan. A total of 21 male veterans were studied to measure the effect of GRT. Eleven participants were in the experimental group and 10 in the control group. The experimental group activity was held twice weekly for 4 weeks. The Taiwan Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms and geriatric depression among male veterans. The generalised estimating equation was used for data analysis. The male veterans in this study had a mean age of 82 years (SD = 5.8); 47.62% were between 70 and 79 years old, 61.90% were illiterate and 90.48% were without a partner. After 4 weeks of GRT, the experimental group significantly improved their depressive symptoms and geriatric depression in the post-test, 3-month and 6-month follow-up data compared with the control group. These activities can reduce their depressive symptoms following the intervention. A 4-week, eight-session GRT can effectively reduce depressive symptoms among institutionalised male veterans for a 6-month period.
Abstract: Objective: The present study is a retrospective quasi-experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Warrior PATHH (WP) program at improving posttraumatic growth (PTG) outcomes and reducing PTSD symptoms compared to a waitlist control among a sample of Veterans. Method: Participants (n = 164) were U.S. military Veterans with a history of trauma. Participants were either undergoing the Warrior PATHH program or a waitlist. Primary outcome measures were administered at baseline and at 90-day follow-up and consisted of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory – Expanded (PTGI-X) and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Secondary outcome measures assessed psychosocial functioning and included measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, sleep, wellbeing, and social support. Results: Significant differences were observed between groups on the PTGI-X (F(1, 205) = 23.667, p < .001, partial η2 = 0.103), and the PCL-5 (F(1, 205) = 262.460, p < .001, partial η2 = 0.561) with the WP group showing significant positive psychological change following a traumatic event as measured by the PTGI-X and decreased PTSD symptoms as measured by the PCL-5 compared to those in the waitlist condition. Those in the treatment arm also demonstrated gains to psychosocial functioning. Conclusions: Consistent with previous research, participants in the Warrior PATHH program exhibited significant increases in PTG outcomes, decreased PTSD symptoms, and broad improvements to psychosocial functioning. These findings suggest it is an effective training program to foster PTG outcomes among Veterans. This study is unique as it is the first to compare the effects of WP programming with a sample of waitlisted Veterans.