Comparing the Effectiveness of Integrative Reminiscence Group Therapy and Reality Therapy on Death Anxiety in the Elderly
TL;DR
The results confirmed the superiority of reality therapy in shaping the acceptance of death in the elderly and active and present-focused approaches were the key to reducing ultimate anxiety.
Abstract
Introduction : Aging is a natural stage of the life cycle that is accompanied by physical, psychological, and social changes. One of the prominent psychological challenges during this period is death anxiety; this anxiety can severely affect the quality of life of the elderly. Objectives : The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of integrative reminiscence group therapy and reality therapy on death anxiety in the elderly. Materials and Methods : The applied research method was a quasi-experimental type with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group and a two-month follow-up phase. The statistical population of the present study included elderly people over 65 years of age living in Isfahan in 2024. The research sample included 60 elderly people who were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The inclusion criteria included elderly people over 65 years of age with informed consent who had no history of acute/chronic psychological disorders, receiving concurrent psychological interventions, or taking psychiatric medications in the last six months. The elderly in the experimental groups received the intervention of group therapy of coherent reminiscence and reality therapy separately for eight weeks. The instruments used included the Death Anxiety Questionnaire (Templer, 1970). Analysis was performed using software (SPSS) version 23 using mixed variance analysis and Bonferroni post hoc test . Results: The results showed that group therapy of coherent reminiscence and reality therapy had a significant effect on death anxiety (P<0.001; Eta=0.55; F=16.29). The results of the post hoc test also indicated that there was a significant difference between the effectiveness of these two interventions in the variable of death anxiety (P<0.001). Thus, in this variable, reality therapy was more effective than group therapy of coherent reminiscence. Conclusion: The results confirmed the superiority of reality therapy in shaping the acceptance of death in the elderly and active and present-focused approaches were the key to reducing ultimate anxiety.
