Effects of Encouraging Group Therapy Program on Male Baby-Boomers' Self-esteem, Depression, Suicidal Ideation and Social Interest

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of an encouraging group therapy program on male baby boomers' self-esteem, depression, suicidal ideation, and social interest. Methods: The recruited participants were 33 male baby boomers in G city. The study was conducted from April 4 to June 10, 2016 To test the effects of the encouraging group therapy program, the participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group (N=15) and a control group (N=18). The data were analyzed using the x2 test, t-test, and Fisher exact test with the SPSS/WIN 22.0 program. Results: Compared to the control group, the experimental group showed significantly increased scores for self-esteem (t=2.40, p=.023) and social interest (t=2.21, p=.040) along with a significant decrease in the depression score (t=-3.39, p=.002); however, the suicidal ideation score was not significantly decreased (t=-0.43, p=.673). Conclusion: The findings from this study indicate that an encouraging group therapy program effectively enhances self-esteem and social interest while reducing depression in male baby boomers. Therefore, this program represents a good strategy that community mental health nurses can use to improve psychiatric health among male baby boomers.