Effectiveness of Group Reminiscence Therapy on Mental Health Status and Levels of Happiness Among Elderly Patients on Hemodialysis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Consideration of mental health status together with levels of happiness in elderly patients undergoing hemodialysis is among issues disregarded in health systems even though this age group is likely to suffer from numerous mental disorders induced by physical problems. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of group reminiscence therapy (GRT) on Mental Health Status and Levels of Happiness among Elderly Patients on Hemodialysis. Methods: This clinical trial study was conducted on 60 elderly patients undergoing hemodialysis from 1 February 2019 to 30 August 2019. The sampling method was simple random allocation. The intervention was then implemented through structured GRT for the patients in the experimental group within eight sessions, twice a week. The control group, however, did not receive any interventions. SPSS Version 18.0 was used to analyze the data. Results: The results revealed that the difference between mean scores of mental health status between both experimental and control groups was significant following the implementation of GRT ( p =0.02), so the mean scores in the experimental group (30.76±8.07) had reduced after the given intervention compared with that in the control group (37.13±6.28). The mean scores of levels of happiness had also significantly increased in the experimental group following GRT (114.4±7.98) compared with that before it (93.03±19.97) ( p ≤0.02). Conclusion: It was concluded that implementation of GRT could have a positive effect on mental health status and levels of happiness in elderly and adult patients aged ≥50 years undergoing hemodialysis.