The effect of recreational games on happiness, life satisfaction, loneliness, and somatisation in elderly individuals: a non-randomized controlled trial.

Background: Participation in recreational activities supports continuity of activity and psychological well-being in old age. Games are one of these recreational activities. This study aims to measure the influence of recreational games on somatisation, loneliness, happiness and life satisfaction among elderly individuals.

Methods: This non-randomized quasi-experimental study involved 80 individuals from two nursing homes, allocated to intervention (n = 40) and control (n = 40) groups. Participants, aged 65 or older, met cognitive eligibility criteria based on the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination. The intervention group selected 4 games (hot-and-cold, word challenge, bingo, matching pairs) from a set of 15 and played twice weekly for two months in smaller groups. The control group maintained their usual leisure activities. Data were collected using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short Form, Satisfaction with Life Scale, De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised Somatization Subscale at baseline, 1 week, and 1 month post-intervention.

Results: The intervention group (IG) showed significant improvements compared to the control group (CG). Happiness (η² = 0.93) and life satisfaction (η² = 0.92) increased significantly in the IG (p < 0.0001), with higher scores than the CG in both the post-test (r ≈ -0.246 to -0.212, p < 0.05) and follow-up (r ≈ -0.273 to -0.309, p < 0.01). Loneliness, including emotional and social loneliness, decreased significantly in the IG (η² = 0.94, p < 0.0001), with greater reductions than the CG in the post-test and follow-up (r ≈ -0.503 to -0.593, p < 0.0001). Somatization did not change significantly within the IG but showed a reduction compared to the CG in the post-test and follow-up (r ≈ -0.226 to -0.280, p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Recreational games may give psychological benefits to older adults. Yet, results of the study need to be interpreted with caution and need to be replicated.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06505070 (retrospectively registered, Protocol ID: Duzce-U-merve0003, Last Update Posted: 2024-08-02). https://ctv.veeva.com/study/the-effect-of-recreational-games-on-happiness-life-satisfaction-loneliness-and-somatisation-in-el?comeFrom=study-search .