Comparison of the Effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Group Therapy and Group Logotherapy on Psychological Well-Being among Older Adults
Keywords:
Compassion-based group therapy, Group meaning therapy, Psychological well-being, the elderly, Group therapyAbstract
Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of compassion-focused group therapy and group logotherapy on the psychological well-being of men aged over 65 years attending daytime welfare centers in Bojnord.
Methods and Materials: This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of older adult men over 65 years old attending daytime centers affiliated with the Welfare Organization in Bojnord. A total of 45 participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned into three 15-member groups: compassion-focused group therapy, group logotherapy, and control group. Data were collected using Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale. Compassion-focused therapy was implemented in eight 90-minute sessions based on Gilbert’s protocol, while group logotherapy was conducted in ten one-hour sessions following Frankl’s approach. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, Shapiro–Wilk test, Levene’s test, and Bonferroni post hoc test in SPSS software.
Findings: The results of covariance analysis indicated a significant difference among the three groups regarding psychological well-being (F=4.923, P=0.012). Both therapeutic interventions significantly improved the psychological well-being of older adults compared with the control group. Bonferroni post hoc analysis demonstrated that the adjusted mean score of psychological well-being in the compassion-focused therapy group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P=0.012). Similarly, the logotherapy group showed a significant difference compared with the control group (P=0.032). However, no statistically significant difference was observed between the compassion-focused therapy and logotherapy groups (P=1.00). The effect size for compassion-focused therapy was 29%, while the effect size for logotherapy was 18.1%, indicating the substantial effectiveness of both interventions in enhancing psychological well-being among older adults.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that both compassion-focused group therapy and group logotherapy are effective psychological interventions for improving psychological well-being among older adults. Although both approaches significantly enhanced well-being, compassion-focused therapy showed relatively greater effectiveness. Therefore, integrating these psychological interventions into elderly care and rehabilitation centers may contribute significantly to improving mental health, life satisfaction, and overall quality of life in older populations.
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