Effects of a bereavement intervention program on depression and life satisfaction in middle aged widows in Korea

Abstract

Purpose: This study was designed to examine the effects of a bereavement intervention program on levels of depression and life satisfaction in middle aged widows in Korea.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent control-group pretest-posttest was used. The subjects (control group, n = 10; intervention group, n = 17) were bereaved less than 6 months in G City and J Province, Korea. The bereavement intervention program consisted of Dan-jeon breathing, self-help group activities and a health examination. The experimental group attended 10 sessions of a bereavement intervention program. The control group had a health examination without the intervention program. For both groups, the level of depression and life satisfaction levels were measured before and after the experiment.

Results: The decrement of depression level in the experimental group was significantly greater than in the control group (p<.001). The increment in life satisfaction in the experimental group was significantly greater than in the control group (p<.001).

Conclusion: The results suggested that the bereavement intervention program was effective in decreasing level of depression and in increasing the life satisfaction of widows. Accordingly, a bereavement intervention program can be applied as an intervention to help widows.