EFFECTIVENESS OF MINDFULNESS MEDITATION ON DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND LONELINESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS

Background: Aging may result in many physical and mental health challenges that need to be diagnosed and treated. Untreated mental illness is associated with many major health issues, which may be the cause of premature mortality. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation on depressive symptoms and loneliness among older adults. Design: A quasi-experimental design with a pre and post-test was used to carry out the study's objectives. Setting: The study was conducted in El-Sadat Geriatric Home, Berket El-Saba Geriatric Home and Family Welfare Association Elderly Club in Shebeen El-Kom, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt. subjects: A convenience sample of all aged people who met the inclusion criteria was chosen (50 older adults). Instruments: consisted of three instruments Demographic data, The geriatric depressive symptoms scale (Arabic version), University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale ( UCLA): Results: The study found that 70% of the elderly studied had a moderate level of depressive symptoms, and 58% had severe loneliness. After mindfulness meditation, there was a high statistical improvement in the total depressive symptoms groups post-intervention (p 0.003), a highly significant improvement in the total loneliness groups post-intervention (p 0.01), and a highly significant association between post-intervention loneliness levels and post-intervention depressive symptoms levels among the studied elderly (P 0.01). Conclusion: Older adults who contributed to mindfulness meditation improved their depressive symptoms and reduced loneliness levels. Recommendations: The psychiatric nursing staff should implement a nursing intervention program for older adults who live in geriatric homes to improve their symptoms of depression and reduce loneliness levels.