Effect of Group Reminiscence Therapy on the Social Well-being of Retired Older Men In Zahedan, Iran

Aging is associated with declined health. To maintain the health of the elderly, it is necessary to develop preventive health measures. Social well-being is an important dimension of health in the elderly. The present study aims to determine the effect of group reminiscence therapy on the social well-being of retired older men in Zahedan, Iran.

This is a quasi-experimental study that was conducted in 2018. Participants were 90 retired older men aged 60-75 years in Zahedan, Iran who were selected by a convenience method and were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Data collection tools were a demographic form and Keyes’ social well-being scale-short form. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS software, version 16.

The Mean±SD age was 68.02±3.46 in the intervention group and 68.64±4.60 years in the control group. The results of independent t-test showed that the mean score of social well-being after reminiscence intervention was significantly different between the two groups (P=0.002).

Group reminiscence therapy has a positive effect on the social well-being of retired older men. Since the elderly are interested in sharing memories and considering that reminiscence therapy is an attractive, simple and cost-effective intervention, it can be used to improve their social well-being.