The Effectiveness of the Life Review Program on Sense of Loneliness, Social Adjustment, Coherence and Integration in the Elderly

Increased depression and feelings of loneliness as well as decreased social adjustment are among the most common psychological states in the elderly that may lead to several possible reactions. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of life-reviewing techniques on social adjustment, coherence and integration, and loneliness in elders. The research included pre-test and post-test design with control group. The statistical population consisted all elderly women living in day care centers in Khorramabad in 2019. Purposeful sampling was performed on all statistical population individuals eligible to the study. After completing Bell's social adjustment questionnaire, Flensberg's coherence and integrity, and Dehshiri et al.'s sense of loneliness, 30 subjects with the lowest scores in each component were randomly divided into experimental and control groups (n=15). The experimental group received 6 sessions of 90-minute training with the review techniques of Haight and Webster. Finally, posttest was administered to both groups. A follow-up test was also performed on the experimental group after one month. Data were analyzed using one-way covariance analysis in SPSS software version 22. The results of data analysis showed that life review therapy was effective to reduce loneliness, social adjustment and coherence and integration in the elderly (P <0.001). Reminding the memories of past as a treatment reduced isolation and loneliness in elderly, improving their sense of independence and self-reliance increased coherence and integrity, and involved them in a process of improvement, reviewing and re-examining the hardships and shortcomings of their lives. Getting rid of rumors and resolving old conflicts leads to improved social adjustment. Since this treatment was more well-known and tangible for the elderly, it could be used as an alternative treatment or complementary therapy in elderly counseling.