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Life review based on remembering specific positive events in active aging
José M Latorre1, Juan P Serrano2, Jorge Ricarte1
1Neurological Disabilities Research Institute (IDINE), Albacete, Spain University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain.
Objective:
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of life review (LR) based on specific positive events in non-depressed older adults taking part in an active aging program.
Method:
Fifty-five older adults were randomly assigned to an experimental group or an active control (AC) group. A six-session individual training of LR based on specific positive events was carried out with the experimental group. The AC group undertook a "media workshop" of six sessions focused on learning journalistic techniques. Pre-test and post-test measures included life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, experiencing the environment as rewarding, and autobiographical memory (AM) scales.
Results:
LR intervention decreased depressive symptomatology, improved life satisfaction, and increased specific memories.
Discussion:
The findings suggest that practice in AM for specific events is an effective component of LR that could be a useful tool in enhancing emotional well-being in active aging programs, thus reducing depressive symptoms.
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