Enhancing Life Quality in Community-Dwelling Older Omanis by Telling Their Life Story

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Healthy Older Adults

• Registration Number: NCT06881914
• Lead Sponsor: Sultan Qaboos University

Brief Summary

This study investigates whether sharing life stories and creating life-story books can enhance the quality of life and life satisfaction and reduce depression in older adults. The primary research question is:

Did the quality of life, life satisfaction, and levels of depression improve more for participants in the intervention group compared to those in the control group?

Participants will be divided into two groups:

* Intervention group: These participants will share life stories and create life-story books.

* Control group: These participants will not share life stories or create life-story books.

Detailed Description

Background: The main goal of this study is to investigate whether telling their life stories and developing a life-story book intervention affects a group of Omani older adults' quality of life, life satisfaction, and depression symptoms.

Methods: In Oman, a randomized controlled trial with repeated measures was conducted to evaluate the impact of the intervention. 75 older individuals were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 38) or the control group (n = 37). Baseline demographic data were collected as an initial reference point. To comprehensively assess changes over time, participants' depression levels, life satisfaction, and overall quality of life were measured at multiple time points: weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8. This longitudinal design allowed for a nuanced analysis of intervention effects across different implementation phases.

This study believes that participants in the 8-week trial of the life-story review intervention were successful in reducing depression and improving life satisfaction and quality of life in the older population. Healthcare professionals can use such interventions to enhance older persons' mental health and well-being.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2021-10-01
• Primary Completion: 2024-11-30
• Study Completion: 2024-12-31
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Study First Submitted: 2025-03-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-03-11
• Study First Posted: 2025-03-18
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-19
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-24

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 75

Inclusion Criteria

• aged 60-90;
• depressive symptoms score between 5 and 10;
• able to sign the consent form;
• able to speak Arabic or English;
• able to communicate without the need for a hearing aid.

Exclusion Criteria

• using hypnotics, sedatives, antidepressants, anticholinergics, antihistamines, tranquilizers, or melatonin for sleep;
• having a medical diagnosis of Parkinson's, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or a serious mental problem;
• Participants assigned to the intervention group who did not want to be audio recorded.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline in the depression scores (GDS-15) at 8 weeks	From enrollment to the end of intervention at 8 weeks.	The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), Arabic version, was used to collect depression scores. It comprises 15 closed-ended questions regarding how the elderly participants felt during the previous week. Zero indicates no depressive symptoms, and 15 indicates severe depressive symptoms.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline in the life satisfaction score at 8 weeks	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks	The Arabic version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) was used to collect older adults' degrees of life satisfaction. The SWLS consists of 5 items with response options ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree), and it has good reliability (a = 0.86). A total score of 35 indicates greater life satisfaction; a score of 5 indicates poor life satisfaction.
Change from baseline in the quality of life score at 8 weeks	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks.	World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQoL-BREF) The World Health Organization Quality of life questionnaire, The WHOQoL-BREF, in Arabic, assesses older persons' health-related quality of life. It is a 26-item test with a 5-point Likert-type scale; a higher score would suggest a higher quality of life regarding the environment, social interactions, psychology, and physical health.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Sultan Qaboos University Hospital; 🇴🇲 Muscat, Oman