Tele-Drama Therapy for Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Constricted Life Space Mobility: A Mixed Methods Randomized Control Study

Older adults suffering from constricted life space mobility experience higher rates of chronic disease, functional and cognitive impairments, depressive symptoms, limited access to medical care and minimal social encounters. Interventions that enhance social skills and increase opportunities for social interaction have showed promising results, but for older adults with constricted life space mobility, this is especially challenging since access to social encounters is limited. Tele-therapy offers a potential solution to these physical barriers and have been proven effective in treating common mental disorders, such as anxiety. However, a recent tele-therapy study that found that while participants appreciated the possibility of online therapy, many still refused to participate because they were not interested in focusing on sensitive subjects, such as their depression. These findings highlight the crucial need to develop accessible interventions that address these potential physical and emotional barriers that may prevent older adults with constricted mobility from consuming mental health services. Tele-drama therapy can offer a solution to these barriers, however the unexplored potential of online group drama therapy with older adults remains.

The aim of this Randomized Control, mixed methods study was to explore a 12-week tele-drama therapy group intervention tailored for older adults with constricted mobility. The quantitative arm of this mixed-methods study aims to examine the impact of a tele-drama therapy intervention on the mental health of older adults with constricted life space mobility, and to pinpoint the associations between dramatic processes and outcome measures. The researchers hypothesize that Tele-drama therapy will (1) enhance social connectedness, self-acceptance, personal growth, and a sense of meaning in life, as compared to the control condition, (2) reduce depressive symptom and loneliness as compared to the control condition. In addition, the researchers hypothesize that in-session therapeutic change factors will predict better outcomes in the treatment group.

The qualitative arm of this study will explore the experiences of participants and staff members.

Participants:

This study aimed to recruit 120 participants, factoring in a 15% dropout rate, based on an a-priori power analysis. The intervention was offered to 3,595 Uniper Care members residing throughout Israel. Participants were recruited over eight months and were randomly assigned to eight tele-drama therapy treatment groups or eight usual care groups who continued to receive the routine activities provided by Uniper Care.