Investigation of the Effects of Art Therapy on Self-Compassion, Mood and Cognitive Functioning Levels in the Elderly

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Gümüş Demir Z., Demir V.

ULUSLARARASI SOSYAL BILIMLER DERGISI = INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, cilt.6, sa.25, ss.96-120, 2022 (Hakemli Dergi)

Özet

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of art therapy practices on self-compassion, positive-negative mood and cognitive function levels in elderly individuals. In the research, a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was used. The sample of the study consists of 50 elderly individuals who are in the study (n=25) and comparison (n=25) groups. The entire sample lives in a long-term care home and is male. Sociodemographic Information Form, Positive-Negative Affect Scale, Self-Compassion Scale and Standardized Mini-Mental Test were administered to the participants. The Art Therapy Program was applied to the study group by the researchers once a week for a total of 10 sessions (each session 90 minutes). The comparison group was not included in any application. The analysis of the data obtained in this study was made with SPSS 25.0 and Dependent Groups T test and Independent Groups T test were used. As a result of the research findings, it was determined that there were statistically significant differences (p<.05) between the post-test scores of the study and comparison groups. After the Art Therapy Program, the positive affect and self-compassion levels of the elderly individuals participating in the study group increased. No statistically significant difference was found in the cognitive function levels of the participants. There are few quantitative studies on Art Therapy conducted with elderly individuals. The study is important in terms of giving the opportunity to examine the application of Art Therapy on experimental research to improve the lives of elderly individuals.