The Effects of a Resilience Enhancement Program on Depression among Older Adults with Chronic Illnesses
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Abstract
This quasi-experimental study employed a two-group pretest–posttest design to examine changes in depression levels among older adults with chronic illnesses following participation in a resilience enhancement program and to compare depression levels between those receiving the program and those receiving usual nursing care. The sample comprised 60 older adults with chronic illnesses and mild-to-moderate depression, equally assigned to an experimental group and a control group (30 participants per group). The research instruments consisted of a resilience enhancement program and the Thai Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (TGDS-15), which had a content validity index (CVI) of .96 and a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .80. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and the Mann–Whitney U test.
The results showed that depression scores in the experimental group significantly decreased after participation in the program (Z = 4.801, p < .001). The reduction in depression scores was significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group (Z = 6.805, p < .001). In contrast, no statistically significant difference in depression scores was found in the control group (Z = .531, p = .595).
Nurses and healthcare personnel in primary care units should integrate this program into routine depression screening and care for older adults with chronic illnesses. Group activities should be organized to strengthen the three components of resilience: I Am, I Have, and I Can. Collaboration with family members and village health volunteers is also recommended to support the prevention and reduction of depression among community-dwelling older adults with chronic illnesses.
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