Depression as a Major Health Issue

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Summary of the Article
Research Methods and Design
Ways in Which the Findings Can Contribute to Nursing Practice
Ethical Considerations Associated with the Conduct of Nursing Research
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

The article begins by viewing depression as a major health issue affecting older women today. According to the article, structured reminiscence is a critical behavioral approach that can help deal with depression in aged women and empower nurses to improve the mental health of elderly patients (Stinson, Young, Kirk & Walker, 2010).. After giving a succinct summary of the article, this paper goes further to explain the need to understand the nature of depression in old women today. The discussion will examine the research design and explain how the findings might be essential towards better nursing practice. The paper also addresses different ethical considerations associated with the conduct of nursing research.

Summary of the Article

The authors use a proper research design to examine why medication is not enough for treating older women. The article identifies depression in elderly women in healthcare institutions and homes as a major challenge today, because medication alone is incapable of reducing levels of stress. According to the article, different approaches can be essential towards dealing with depression and withdrawal in elderly women (Stinson et al., 2010). The purpose of the study was to examine the implications of cognitive behavior approaches for depression in old women receiving health care in different facilities. The authors suggested that structured reminiscences could be essential for treating depression in aged women.

The findings indicated that structured reminiscence has the potential to reduce depression in women aged 60 years and above (Stinson et al., 2010). This is the case for elderly women living in assisted-living institutions and facilities. The researchers obtained positive results after offering the reminiscence therapy twice a week. The study explains why depression remains a major problem affecting elderly women in different health facilities.

Research Methods and Design

The authors used an effective research design to get the best results. The study included a research hypothesis whereby women aged 60 years and above were expected to record reduced depression scores when exposed to reminiscence sessions. The study involved two reminiscence sessions per week for a period of 6 weeks. The researchers used an experimental two-group trial to assess the accuracy and confidentiality of the participants. The study used a demographic questionnaire to gather information from the participants such as educational background, age, and length of stay in the assisted-living facility (ALF). The researchers used a geriatric depression scale (GDS) to measure the levels of depression among the participants. In addition, the final sample included 47 women aged 60 years and above. The sampled women resided in one of the two ALFs in Texas (Stinson et al., 2010). The study method and design made it easier to gather needed information and results thus making the study meaningful and applicable.

Ways in Which the Findings Can Contribute to Nursing Practice

The findings indicated that structured reminiscence could decrease depression levels of older women living in ALFs. This was successful after offering the reminiscence sessions twice a week for a period of six weeks. The researchers concluded that engagement in the practice should occur for more than three weeks to help reduce depression among the participants. That being the case, nurses and caregivers in assisted-living facilities (ALF) will find the ideas essential towards better nursing practice (Stinson et al., 2010). This is possible because the use of structured reminiscences can significantly reduce stress levels and depression in aged women thus improving the healing process.

According to Jones and Beck-Little (2002), reminiscence therapy sessions can be an effective intervention for different patients in healthcare facilities. Nurses and other professionals should use the study findings to design effective programmes for senior citizens in different healthcare institutions. This study also supports the use of different psychological therapies and role modeling theories to help reduce depression in elderly patients. The findings explain the need to provide care and reminiscence therapies to different patients and older women for more than three weeks to get the best results. With proper training, nurses can help improve mental positions of old women by reducing depression.

Ethical Considerations Associated with the Conduct of Nursing Research

Whenever undertaking any kind of research in nursing, it is necessary to take different ethical considerations seriously. To begin with, researchers should safeguard the information, data and personal details of elderly women and other patients. With patients living in critical conditions, it is necessary to ask for their permission and get the needed approval for the relevant authorities (Jones & Beck-Little, 2002). The researchers should present coded findings from their study. This will help safeguard the rights and liberties of the participants. The researchers should respect and treat the participants with dignity. The highest level of professionalism is necessary for these researchers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this study presents numerous insights for better nursing practice. Nurses can rely on role modeling and reminiscence therapies to help reduce stress and depression in the elderly patients. Future researches should examine how reminiscence sessions can reduce stress in aged men. In addition, researchers can analyze how to use different protocols for patients with mental conditions and disorders. The study can also examine the effectiveness of structured reminiscence for women living in the communities. This approach will help to deal with the problem of depression because it affects many senior citizens today.

Reference List

Jones, E. & Beck-Little, R. (2002). The use of reminiscence therapy for the treatment of depression in rural dwelling older adults. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 23(1), 279-290.

Stinson, C., Young, E., Kirk, E. & Walker, R. (2010). Use of a structured reminiscence protocol to decrease depression in older women. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 17(1), 665-673.

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