Abstract
OBJECTIVE. We examined the effects of engaging in the occupation-based intervention of life review through writing on expressed depressive symptoms as measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale in older adults residing in senior residences. METHOD. The study design was a randomized controlled trial that took place in four senior residences in New York City. Forty-five participants (23 treatment, 22 wait-list control) ≥65 yr old participated in the 8-wk, once-weekly autobiographical writing workshop, Share Your Life Story (Sierpina, 2002). RESULTS. Depressive symptoms were significantly less prevalent for the treatment group than for the control group after the 8-wk life review program (repeated-measures analysis of variance p = .03). CONCLUSION. The results suggest that the Share Your Life Story writing workshop is an effective occupation- based intervention for occupational therapists to use with older adults who reside in senior residences.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 438-446 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | American Journal of Occupational Therapy |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2012 |
Keywords
- Aged
- Autobiography
- Depression
- Treatment outcome
- Writing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Occupational Therapy