None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
We hypothesize that a six-week magic-based intervention can improve levels of self-esteem, reduce depressive symptoms, and increase quality of life in the older population. The primary aim of this study is to explore the possible psychosocial effects of a magic-based intervention on self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and quality of life in older adults. The secondary aims are to investigate the relationship between self-esteem and depressive symptoms, as well as between depressive symptoms and quality of life.
Interventions
All participants of both groups received health education on mental health at the beginning of the intervention (week 0). The content was the way to recognize when one's mental health needs extra help and strategies to improve mental health. It was delivered by a structured power-point presentation to all participants at once by a member of the study team in a single 60-minute session.
The magic intervention program designed for the older adults started a week later and was held for 90 minutes (
All participants of both groups received health education on mental health at the beginning of the intervention (week 0). The content was the way to recognize when one's mental health needs extra help and strategies to improve mental health. It was delivered by a structured power-point presentation to all participants at once by a member of the study team in a single 60-minute session. The magic intervention program designed for the older adults started a week later and was held for 90 minutes (min) twice a week for 6 weeks and taught by an experienced teacher who was both a family physician and a professional magician, and qualified as a tutor of the Programs to Prevent or Delay Disability by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The method of teaching was a pre-planned group lesson with 8-12 participants and 1 teacher. Well-designed and easy-to-master props and interactive parlor magic were chosen for the course design. Each magic lesson, except for the first and last ones, was composed of (1) a review of the magic tricks taught in the previous class (10 min), (2) a demonstration of magic tricks by the teacher as part of and designed for the lesson (5 min), (3) a discussion by the participants of the possible explanations behind the magic tricks (10 min), (4) a revelation by the teacher of the secrets behind the gimmicks and magic tricks (5 min), (5) the participants learning and making their props (25 min), (6) the participants practicing the performing skills (20 min), and finally, (7) the participants performing their magic shows on the stage in a group of four to five for 15 minutes and receiving applause from the other participants. There was a total of 12 lessons, and each used a different theme, such was a coin disappeared when covered with a transparent cup, a rolled newspaper grown into a large flowering tree, and a paperclip turned into a banknote, etc. Attendance records was used to monitor adherence to the intervention.
Sponsors
National Cheng Kung University Hospital
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
60 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
The participants were recruited from a community activity center and out-patient family medicine clinics in a community hospital. Volunteers were screened for the following inclusion criteria: (1) 60 - 90 years old, (2) not currently taking antidepressant medication, (3) not currently having problems with alcohol and/or substance dependence, (4) not having primary axis I psychiatric diagnosis, (5) not currently on psychotherapy, (6) having a score of greater than or equal to 24 in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and (7) having a score of less than or equal to 10 in the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15).
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria included (1) having medical conditions associated with symptoms of depression (e.g., thyroid disease, hyperparathyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome, adrenal insufficiency, acute hepatitis, acute kidney injury, anemia, systemic infectious disease, and/or malignancy) and (2) having an acute unstable neurological disease (e.g., acute stroke within the past six months and/or dementia with behavioral and psychological symptoms).
Outcome results
None listed