An innovative program promoting psychological well-being in depressive older adults
Research on motivation has shown that the presence of personal goals is related to psychological well-being (PWB). A 14-week program designed to help participants realize meaningful personal projects was created to improve the PWB of depressed (BDI-II ≥ 9; M = 22,05) older adults (≥ 65 years). The levels of PWB, depression, and anxiety of the persons who took part in the program (n = 24) were compared to those of a control group (n = 18). Analyses showed that the program participants improved significantly on most indicators of well-being, including depression, indicating that a goal intervention program could be an innovative way to promote the mental health of depressive older adults. However, the improvement was observed only for serenity and meaning in life in the comparative analyses with the control group. Future studies should try to develop mental health promotion program that provide individuals with means to achieve an optimal state of functioning.