Journal de psychologie et psychothérapie
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A Systematic Review of Recreation Therapy for Depression in Older Adults

Michael HS Lam, Bik CHOW, Siu Yin Cheung, Ka Yiu Lee, William Ho Cheung Li, Eva Ho, Stuart W Flint, L Yang and Nathan Kin Fai Yung

Background: Recreation therapy (RT) provides a flexible and powerful treatment for depression associated with aging. This article reviewed the effectiveness of RT to treat depression in older adults. Method: Five electronic databases were employed to identify interventional studies on RT in depressed older adults: Pubmed, PsycINFO, ProQuest, Academic Search Premier and ERIC. Articles were screened against inclusion criteria and assessed with respect to methodological quality. Results: A systematic literature review included 18 articles. Fourteen studies reported improvement in depression but 6 studies lack adequate significance in the positive effect of RT. Methodological quality assessment of 13 randomizedcontrolled trials and 5 non-controlled studies indicated an overall mean of 5.67 ± 1.94 points out of 9. Conclusion: There were positive findings that RT is effective in improving geriatric depression. Future investigation is encouraged to explore the mechanism between physical activity RT and depression improvement.