initially reminiscence was intended for older adults. however, this therapy my prove to be a valuable tool for adults at earlier stages of their life as well. in the elderly, improvement in satisfaction with life and self, self-esteem, increase in social involvement which led to an improvement in their ability to deal with social situations, lower loneliness and alienation. in addition, depressive symptoms, psychological symptoms, psychological well-being, ego-integrity, meaning of/purpose in life, mastery, cognitive performance, social integration, preparation for death all showed improvements after the therapy was concluded. at a follow up depression, other indicators of mental health, well-being, ego-integrity, cognitive performance, death preparation all remained to be improved from pre treatment. improvements comparable to those found in the elderly have been found in studies that included younger age brackets. improvements in depression occur in both females and males. comparative analysis between males and females on the effects of reminiscence therapy found no evidence for a difference in the success of the therapy between genders. reminiscence therapy has been conducted in groups composed of residents from group centres and those living in broader communities. recent analysis suggests that no differences in outcomes from reminiscence exist between the type of community that the individuals are living in during the time of therapy, which contradicts the earlier findings that those living in group homes or care centres benefited less from these programs. those who experienced various major life events showed improved mental stability including a decrease in depressive symptoms and anxiety. institutionalized elderly male veterans showed increased self-esteem and life satisfaction and a decrease in symptoms of depression who were involved in a 12-week reminiscence therapy program compared to those that were not.