Teaching Positive Thinking and Praying on Life Satisfaction in ElderlyWomen with Depression and Anxiety

The increase in the number of the elderly and their encountering various social challenges, financial constraints,reduced physical and mental health harms the elderly, and in parallel with these problems, their life satisfactiondecreases. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of teaching positive thinking andprayer on life satisfaction of elderly females with depression and anxiety referred to Imam Reza (AS) specializedand sub-specialized clinic in Shiraz (Iran). This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design inwhich ۸۳ elderly females with anxiety and depression who referred to the specialized and sub-specialized clinic ofImam Reza (AS) in Shiraz and had the lowest score in satisfaction with Life samples were obtained usingconvenience sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The data collection toolwas Z-Form Demographic and Life Satisfaction Questionnaire. The experimental group received eight sessions of۹۰ minutes (once a week) of positive thinking and prayer training, but there were no interventions for the controlgroup. Immediately and one month after the end of the training sessions, both groups were evaluated with the (LifeSatisfaction Index) LSI-Z. The mean score of life satisfaction in the experimental group improved significantlyfrom (۷.۶. ۲.۸۹) to (۱۲.۰۸ ± ۲.۴۴) from before to one month after the intervention. While in the control group, themean score of life satisfaction increased from (۷.۳۸±۳.۶) to (۹.۲۹±۳.۷). Considering the time, group, and time in thegroup, there is a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<۰۰۱). The results showed thatcreating an attitude and cultivating positive thoughts as well as relying on spiritual beliefs leads to improved lifesatisfaction in the elderly.

کلیدواژه ها:

Life Satisfaction ، The Elderly ، Positive Psychological Interventions