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Department of Psychology, Rasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran , A.kiamarsi@iauardabil.ac.ir
Abstract: (25 Views)
Background: Depression in older adults is one of the major challenges in mental health. Despite extensive research on depression in the elderly, there is a significant gap in examining the role of existential concerns, especially in older individuals who have experienced trauma, and the effectiveness of treatments focused on improving interpersonal relationships in reducing these issues. Interpersonal therapy, as a psychotherapy approach aimed at enhancing interpersonal relationships and alleviating symptoms of depression, has shown promising potential in addressing these challenges.
Aims: Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of interpersonal therapy on existential concerns and symptoms of depression in elderly individuals with a history of trauma.
Methods: The method of this research was pre-test type - so the test was with the certificate group and two-month follow-up. The statistical population of this study consisted of all depressed elderly individuals with a history of trauma residing in Qazvin city in the year 1402 (2023-2024). The sample for this study included 20 depressed elderly individuals with a history of trauma, identified based on a cutoff score of 21 on the Beck Depression Inventory and a cutoff score of 4 or higher on the Walker and Sincere (1987) questionnaire, as well as clinical interviews. Participants were matched by gender and assigned to either the interpersonal therapy group or the control group (10 individuals in each group). The study utilized the Beck Depression Inventory (1994) and the Existential Concerns Questionnaire by Brueckner et al. (2017). The experimental group received 12 sessions of interpersonal therapy based on the model by Klerman and Weissman. Data analysis was conducted using repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS-26 software.
Results: The results indicated that interpersonal therapy had a significant impact on existential concerns and symptoms of depression (P< 0.001), and this effect was maintained during the follow-up period (P< 0.001).
Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of interpersonal therapy as an effective method for improving the psychological and social status of depressed elderly individuals and suggests that this approach should be incorporated into treatment programs for this age group.
Aims: Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of interpersonal therapy on existential concerns and symptoms of depression in elderly individuals with a history of trauma.
Methods: The method of this research was pre-test type - so the test was with the certificate group and two-month follow-up. The statistical population of this study consisted of all depressed elderly individuals with a history of trauma residing in Qazvin city in the year 1402 (2023-2024). The sample for this study included 20 depressed elderly individuals with a history of trauma, identified based on a cutoff score of 21 on the Beck Depression Inventory and a cutoff score of 4 or higher on the Walker and Sincere (1987) questionnaire, as well as clinical interviews. Participants were matched by gender and assigned to either the interpersonal therapy group or the control group (10 individuals in each group). The study utilized the Beck Depression Inventory (1994) and the Existential Concerns Questionnaire by Brueckner et al. (2017). The experimental group received 12 sessions of interpersonal therapy based on the model by Klerman and Weissman. Data analysis was conducted using repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS-26 software.
Results: The results indicated that interpersonal therapy had a significant impact on existential concerns and symptoms of depression (P< 0.001), and this effect was maintained during the follow-up period (P< 0.001).
Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of interpersonal therapy as an effective method for improving the psychological and social status of depressed elderly individuals and suggests that this approach should be incorporated into treatment programs for this age group.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/03/5 | Accepted: 2025/05/8 | Published: 2026/02/20
Received: 2025/03/5 | Accepted: 2025/05/8 | Published: 2026/02/20
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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License. |
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)