An Exploratory Study to Assess the Impact of a Chair-Based Dance Intervention Among Older People With Depressive Symptoms in Residential Care

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the psychological impact of a chair-based dance intervention for older people with depressive symptoms in residential care in Macau. In addition, feasibility and acceptability of this complex intervention were explored. Methods: An exploratory phase quasiexperimental study with pre- and posttest intervention was used. Psychological data for the study were collected using several self-reported questionnaires, including the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) Short-Form, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS), and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 item (CD-RISC-10). In addition, sociodemographic characteristics were collected from the 13 residents who fully completed the study. Results: After receiving chair-based dance intervention, the mean GDS score (P = .001), mean MSPSS score (P = .000), mean UCLA-LS score (P = .000), and mean CD-RISC-10 score (P = .012) of the group improved with statistical significance. From the scores of the primary outcome, the GDS-15, item 2 “dropped many of your activities and interests” improved the most (−46%), followed by item 5 “in good spirits” (−43%), then item 3 “life is empty” (−33%) and item 7 “feel happy” (−33%). Conclusion: Our chair-based dance intervention may have a positive effect on decreasing symptoms of depression and improving other aspects of psychological well-being in older Chinese people in long-term residential care. In addition, chair-based dance would appear to be a safe, inexpensive, feasible, and acceptable form of intervention for rehabilitation in this setting. These findings provide valuable information to inform a full randomized controlled trial.