The effect of intergenerational programs on the mental health of elderly adults

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of an intergenerational program on elderly persons’ symptoms of depressive mood and in improving their sense of coherence, which is an element for successful coping with stressors.

Method: We evaluated an intervention research project (Research of Productivity by Intergenerational Sympathy [REPRINTS]), in which volunteers >65 years old read picture books to children in a school setting. The intervention group (REPRINTS) was recruited through intensive weekly training seminars for three months. The no-contact control group members were also recreated to participate in health checks and surveys for data collection purposes. Eventually, 26 participants in the intervention group and 54 in the control group were included for data analysis.

Results: The age or gender was not significantly different between the intervention and control groups. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA shows a time × group significant interaction effects. Analyses of the simple main effects showed that sense of meaningfulness significantly increased for members of the intervention group at all terms, with no changes in the control group over time. Multiple mediation analysis revealed that participation in the intergenerational program was associated with a sense of manageability which was also significantly related to depressive mood.

Conclusion: Intergenerational programs could serve as key health promoters among elderly people by decreasing the risk of social isolation and loneliness due to the greater sense of meaningfulness. However, given our limited sample size, generalizability was restricted and studies with larger cohorts are required to further validate our findings.

Keywords:

• intergenerational program
• sense of coherence
• depressive mood
• mental health
• older adults
• psychosocial interventions

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their sincere thanks to Ms. Taiko Ueda and Yukiko Kumagai, as instructors of the REPRINTS program as well as to the local governmental staff of the Cultural Affairs and Lifelong Learning Section in Chuo-Ward of Tokyo, Tama-Ward Public Health, and Welfare Center in Kawasaki city and Health Promotion Center in Nagahama city and REPRINTS senior volunteers for their kind cooperation when conducting this study. Finally, we owe our special thanks to Dr. Linda Fried at Johns Hopkins University, an advisor in helping to set up the framework of this study.

Additional information

Funding

This study was sponsored by grants-in-aid from Comprehensive Research on Aging and Health, Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Labor, Japan; Nippon Life Insurance Foundation; and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Welfare Foundation.