Effectiveness of Existential Therapy on Loneliness and Death Anxiety in the Elderly

In recent years the elderly population considerably has increased. The elderly population due to decreased of activity and mobility, the loss of friends and relatives, reducing of social protection, physical weakness and social exclusion more experience feelings such as loneliness and death anxiety. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of existential therapy on loneliness and death anxiety in the elderly. This research method was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest and control group. The study population consisted all older people living in nursing rehabilitation home in Ara center at 2015-16 in Sanandaj. Firstly, loneliness and death anxiety questionnaire was completed by all the elderly and then among them who had earned an equal or above score from cut point in loneliness and anxiety questionnaires, thirty subjects were randomly selected and randomly assigned in experimental (n=15) and control groups (n=15). Then, the existential therapy was administered for experimental group in 10 sessions and the control group was not receiving any training. Finally posttest was conducted for experimental and control groups. Data was analyzed by using the covariance analysis. Results showed that the existential therapy had been effective on decreasing of feeling of loneliness and death anxiety in experimental group. Thus, the need for use of treatments focused on the mood and emotional problem of elderly population especially reducing of loneliness and death anxiety is necessary.