Comparing the effectiveness of logotherapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on the loneliness of the elderly

As a natural process of maturation, aging has both positive and negative aspects and causes new alterations in a person's social and psychological standing. Therefore, psychological therapy can assist the elderly in recovering from their individual, societal, and economic impairments. In this context, it appears crucial to identify more effective therapies.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the efficacy of logotherapy with acceptance and commitment therapy in reducing elderly loneliness.

The research design was quasi-experimental and consisted of a pre-test, a post-test, and a control group. The statistical population comprised all elderly residents of Tehran in 2021, 45 of whom were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group from among the elderly residing in health homes in Tehran. Data was collected using Adult social and emotional loneliness scale (ELS; DiTommaso et al., 2004). In the current study, the first experimental group received logotherapy (Frankel, 1963), while the second experimental group received acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT; Hayes, 2004). The control group did not get any intervention. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using one-way and multivariate covariance analysis.

Adjusting the pre-test scores revealed a significant difference between the groups of logotherapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and control in terms of loneliness at the post-test stage (P<0.05), and the two intervention groups compared to the control group had a significant effect on loneliness and its components, But the effectiveness of the two intervention groups was not significantly different (P<0.05).

Acceptance and commitment therapy and logotherapy, despite the use of unique techniques, have efficient and practical origins and features that reduce the feeling of loneliness in the elderly.