نشریه روانشناسی پیری
سال هشتم شماره 2 (پیاپی 29، تابستان 1401)

Aging is one of the developmental stages in the field of global health, and it is highly important to pay attention to the elderly in terms of their psychological and physical needs. This issue indicates the ever-increasing necessity of applying effective interventions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to consider the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on social adjustment and cognitive distortion in the elderly men. It was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest and control group design. The statistical population of the study included all the elderly men in the age range of 65 to 75 years who were living in Khoramabad, Iran in 2021. The sample size consisted of 30 elderly men selected using convenience sampling method and according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The experimental group received eight weekly 90-minute sessions of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. The questionnaires applied in the current study included Hamamci & Buyukozturk’s interpersonal cognitive distortions and Bell's social adjustment. Data were analyzed using Univariate Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS-22 software. The results revealed that there is a significant difference between the control and experimental groups in post-test stage in terms of social adjustment and cognitive distortions (P<0.001), controlling the effect of pre-test. According to the findings of the present study, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy improves the social adjustment and reduces cognitive distortion in the elderly. The findings of the study can start a new chapter in clinical interventions, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can be implemented as an effective intervention for improving general health and quality of life in the elderly.

Subjective aging appears to be an important aspect of processes of psychological aging at large. However, there is a lack of an appropriate tool for assessing subjective aging in Iran. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the short form 10-item awareness of age-related changes (AARC) questionnaire in an Iranian sample. The statistical population contained all older adults aged 60 years old and above living in Kermanshah, Tehran, Hamedan, Semnan, Tabriz and Urmia, among whom two samples of 352 (170 male and 182 female) and 325 people (131 male and 194 female) were selected, using convenience sampling, for exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. Participants filled out Casper et al.’s AARC questionnaire and Barker et al.’s perception of aging questionnaire. The factor structure of the questionnaire was analysed using exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation, results of which indicated that there were 10 items which exhibited the highest loadings on 2 emerged components include AARC-gains (5 items) and AARC-losses (5 items). In terms of reliability indicators, the internal consistency for two subscales of AARC questionnaire (gains and losses) were shown to be 0.85 and 0.91, respectively, using Cronbach’s Alpha-coefficient. The validity of the questionnaire was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and a test of convergent validity. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the fitted model for two subscales of questionnaire, namely AARC-gains and AARC-losses, has a good fit in the study’s sample, which supports the validity of the questionnaire. Moreover, the results of Pearson’s correlation coefficient revealed that the total score and the scores of the two subscales of AARC questionnaire have a direct and significant correlation with the total score and scores of subscales of Barker et al.’s perception of aging questionnaire. Consequently, the utilization of 10-item AARC questionnaire in future studies and in the consideration of the interrelationship of subjective aging and other significant elderly related variables may open up a new chapter in the elderly related studies in Iran.

It was late 2019 when a new virus from the Coronavirus family with the ability of spreading in humans was identified in China for the first time. The speed of the global pandemic of this virous and the publication of news regarding its greater risks for the elderly led to numerous psychological disorders in this age group. Therefore, the present study was to consider the effectiveness of group logotherapy on death anxiety, feeling of loneliness and meaning of life in the elderly with fear of Coronavirus. This was a quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest and a control group design. The statistical population consisted of all the elderly women (65 years old and higher) who were member of the daily rehabilitation services working under supervision of Tabriz Welfare Organization in 2021, among whom 24 eligible women were selected based on inclusion criteria, and randomly assigned into control and experimental groups. The experimental group received ten 90-minute sessions of group logotherapy, while the control group received no intervention. The tools used in this study included the Templer’s death anxiety, Russell et al.’s feeling of loneliness, and the Steger et al.’s meaning of life questionnaires. The data were analyzed using univariate analysis of covariance) ANCOVA) in SPSS-24 software. The results revealed that there is a significant difference between control and experimental groups in terms of death anxiety, feeling of loneliness and meaning of life (P<0.05). In other words, group logotherapy decreased death anxiety and feeling of loneliness and increased the meaning of life in the elderly. According to the results, it appears that this treatment can be effectively used in rehabilitation centers and other psychological and counseling centers in order to improve the mental health of the elderly.

Aging is one of the most important stages of human life, and people at this stage are faced with various issues, among which issues such as death anxiety, happiness and resilience appear to be the most common issues of mental health in the elderly that can be improved using appropriate interventions. Therefore, the current study aims to examine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on death anxiety, happiness and resilience in the elderly. This was a quasi-experimental study with the pretest-posttest control group design. The statistical population of the present study included all the elderly living in Lahijan, Iran, among whom 30 people were selected using convenience sampling method and randomly assigned into the experimental and control groups. Both groups completed the Templer’s death anxiety, Oxford happiness, and Conner and Davidson’s resilience questionnaires in pretest and posttest phases. Experimental group underwent eight 60-minute sessions of ACT, while control group received no treatment at this time. Data were analyzed by univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), the results of which revealed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of death anxiety, happiness and resilience in the posttest phase. Put in other words, ACT resulted in a decrease of death anxiety and an increase of happiness and resilience in the elderly. According to the results of the current study, ACT can be used as an effective treatment method to improve the mental health of the elderly.

Balance ability is a crucial component of the independent daily activities among older adults. Balance impairment is one of the significant risk factors for falls and its related complications. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to compare the effectiveness of neurofeedback training and training environment affordance on static balance in the elderly ‎men. This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest control group design. The statistical population of the present study included the elderly men with an age range of 60 to 80 years living in nursing homes in Ilam, Iran, among whom 36 participants were selected using convenience sampling along with considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and assigned into three groups of neurofeedback, training environment affordance and control, each of which had 12 members. Participants performed a static balance task in three attempts in the pretest phase. In the intervention phase (practice), which lasted for eight weeks and included three 30-minute sessions per week, the member of two experimental groups performed the relevant exercises. It should be noted that during this period, the control group performed their usual daily activities. The posttest phase was conducted exactly after the last training session. Data were analyzed by univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), the results of which indicated that neurofeedback training has a significant effect on improving static balance (anterior-posterior displacement and central-lateral displacement of the center of pressure) in the elderly men (P<0.01). Besides, training environment affordance had a significant effect on improving static balance (anterior-posterior displacement and central-lateral displacement of the center of pressure) in the elderly men (P<0.01). The results of LSD post-hoc test revealed that compared to neurofeedback training, training environment affordance had greater effect on improving static balance in the elderly men (P<0.01). According to the results of the present study, educators and geriatricians are recommended to pay attention to enriching the environment in order to improve the balance of the elderly.

The decrease of memory abilities is one of the main problems in the elderly exacerbated by psychological factors such as anxiety. Therefore, the present study was to investigate the relationship between Corona anxiety and daily memory in the elderly through the mediating role of anxiety sensitivity. This was a descriptive-correlational research of path analysis kind. The statistical population of the study included all the education retirees over 60 years old living in Shiraz, Iran, 250 of whom were selected using convenience sampling. In this study, Alipour’s Corona anxiety, Sunderland’s daily memory and Floyd’s anxiety sensitivity questionnaires were filled out online by the participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS-26 software and Lisrel-8.32. The results of path analysis demonstrated that there is a negative direct relationship between Corona anxiety and daily memory, a positive direct relationship between Corona anxiety and anxiety sensitivity, and a negative direct relationship between anxiety sensitivity and daily memory. Corona anxiety also had an indirect and significant relationship with daily memory through the mediating role of anxiety sensitivity. According to the results, anxiety caused by the outbreak of Corona disease can affect memory function in the elderly. Hence, in addition to physical health, providing mental health of the elderly seems to be crucial as well in pandemic conditions.

Experiencing physical disability, dissidents and loss of relatives, the elderly seems to think more about the death, and if this goes beyond its normal limits, it causes them to feel depressed and helpless. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of positive therapy (PT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on death anxiety and depression in the elderly. This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest and follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population of the current study included all the elderly (75-55 years old) living in the nursing homes of Tehran, Iran, among which Kahrizak nursing home was selected by convenience sampling, where 30 people (three groups of 10 individuals) were selected using convenience sampling and according to inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study, and randomly assigned into two experimental and one control groups. The Magyar-Moe’s PT and Hayes's ACT were conducted in shape of eight 90-minute sessions (twice a week). The follow-up phase test was performed one month after the post-test phase. Templer’s death anxiety and Beck’s depression questionnaires were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post-hoc test in SPSS-22 software. The results demonstrated that compare to control group, both PT and ACT groups had lower scores of death anxiety and depression in posttest and follow-up. That is both therapeutic methods resulted in the reduction of death anxiety and depression in the elderly. Besides, the results of post-hoc test revealed that PT is more effective in the reduction of depression in both posttest and follow-up phases. However, this difference did not hold for death anxiety. According to the mentioned results, PT and ACT can be used in order to improve the death anxiety and depression in the elderly living in nursing homes.