The effectiveness of spiritual reminiscence therapy for older people with loneliness, anxiety and depression in Malaysia

The present study aimed to determine if an SRT program is effective in reducing loneliness, anxiety and depression for older people living in a residential aged care facility in Malaysia. A randomized controlled trial design was used. The primary outcome measures were the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS) and the Malay version of the 14-item Geriatric Depression Scale (M-GDS-14). Of 180 residents, 34 participated. The within-group analysis revealed significant mean differences for loneliness and depression. The findings suggest the value of group-based interventions for older people with loneliness and depression but were inconclusive on the effectiveness of SRT specifically