Effects of an Empowerment Program on Self-esteem and Depression for Low-income Elderly Women Living Alone / 정신간호학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an empowerment program on self-esteem and depression provided through home visits to low-income elderly women who live alone. METHODS: The research design was a control group pre-post test design. The participants were 49 low-income women over age 65 living alone, 24 in the experimental group and 25 in the control group. The independent variable was the empowerment program, and the dependent variables were self-esteem and depression. The empowerment program was provided for 60 minutes, once a week for 8 weeks. Data were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. RESULTS: The experimental group reported significant improvement in self-esteem compared to the control group (t=12.50, p<.001). The experimental group also reported significant improvement in depression scores compared to the control group (t=-9.59, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the empowerment program has the potential to improve the mental health of low-income elderly women.