Community-Based Counseling Intervention for Depression and Psychological Well-being in the Elderly: A pilot quasi-experimental study

Background: It has been established that active aging should be a policy objective for aging societies. Objective: the present study aimed to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a community-based counseling intervention for active aging. Materials & Methods: The current quasi-experimental study was conducted on all elderly men who were referred to Salmandan park, the southern side of Zayandeh Rood Bastar Park between the Khajo and Bozorgmehr bridges of Isfahan, Iran in 2022. A total of 30 people were selected through the convenience sampling method. The experimental group (n=15) received eight sessions (60 minutes sessions per week) of Community-based counseling intervention, while the control group (n=15) did not receive any training. Data were collected by Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results: Active aging protocol was effective in psychological well-being (F1,28=19.52; P<0.001, η2=0.764) and depression (F1,28=20.36; P<0.001, η2=0.791). Conclusion: The findings revealed that the community-based counseling approach improved depression and psychological well-being in the elderly. Increasing evidence suggests that any meaningful activity is beneficial for different aspects of well-being in older people.