Effect of Supportive Group Psychotherapy on Anxiety and Depression of Elderly Inpatients in Community Health Service Centers

Objective By exploring the effect of supportive group psychotherapy on intervening anxiety and depression of elderly inpatients in community health service centers, we provide theoretical basis for community health service centers to enhance their service capacity and therapeutic effect on elderly inpatients. Methods From January 2018 to February 2018, 30 hospitalized patients were selected as the observation group by simple random number method in the inpatient wards of the community health service center, 60 hospitalized patients in the inpatient wards of the two nearby community health service centers, who were of the same gender as and of similar age with those in the observation group, were selected as control group. The observation group received supportive group psychotherapy on the basis of routine rehabilitation guidance, while the control group only received routine rehabilitation guidance. The subjective and Objective anxiety and depression level as well as the quality of inpatient life of the 2 groups were evaluated by Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hamilton's Depression Scale, and self-designed questionnaire on quality of life. Results There was no significant statistical difference between the 2 groups in all scales before supportive group psychotherapy intervention. There were significant statistical differences in the rehabilitation belief, subjective feeling and SAS, SDS, HAMA total score, HAMA severity and HAMD total score after intervention between the 2 groups, while the observation group changed positively. By comparing the 2 groups before and after intervention, we can find that in the observation group, there were significant statistical differences and positive change in rehabilitation beliefs, subjective feelings, SAS, SDS, HAMA total score, HAMA severity, and HAMD total score. While in the control group, there were significant statistical difference only in the SAS and SDS scales. Conclusion Supportive group psychotherapy is more effective on intervening the anxiety and depression of elderly inpatients than regular rehabilitation instruction. But for patients with moderate or severe depression, the combination of psychotherapy and medication should be considered. The intervention treatment in this study can enhance the rehabilitation beliefs of elderly inpatients and their subjective feelings of hospitalization.