The article “Effects of psychosocial group rehabilitation on social functioning, loneliness, and well-being of lonely, older people: randomized controlled trial” by authors Routasalo et al. aims to investigate how older people’s feelings of loneliness and social activity changed after group nursing intervention. Upon completing the study, the authors found that older people’s social activities improved, while some were able to make new friends. Researchers also found that poor health and low quality of life lead to a lonely life among older people. Therefore, the content of this paper will summarize the study regarding population, study design, unit of analysis, and sampling approach. The paper will also highlight major issues concerning the study.
The study focused on older people at the age above 75 years as the target population to make inferences. The target population was based on finding the effects of loneliness in the lives of older people due to their low quality of life and lack of proper medications. During the study, the researchers used a group of 235 older people suffering from loneliness. The researchers then offered the study group a three-month psychosocial intervention.
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During the study, the researchers used individual groups of older people as the unit of analysis. The researchers recruited participants from six different communities within Finland to learn about their physical and social activities. The research used questionnaires when recruiting individual groups to identify their demographic information and social interactions. The study used a randomized controlled trial as its method in research design. A randomized controlled trial is an intervention method that aims to lower down bias sources when testing the effectiveness of a study.
The researchers used a sampling approach by carrying out interventions within seven centers and communities. Each group had 7-8 individuals as representatives of the older people population. The group met 12 times for three months during the study period. The research did not include individuals who have dementia, blindness, deafness, and the inability to walk.
The critical measures used in the research study are interviews and questionnaires. According to researchers, individuals who passed the inclusion standard were interviewed by a registered nurse to assess their eligibility to participate in the study. The researchers also used questionnaires when recruiting participants from different demographic regions. Researchers randomly sent questionnaires to individuals of a selected age living in-home and six different communities in Finland.
Major Issues in the Research Study
The researchers clearly defined their target population when they mentioned that study would include older people above the age of 75. The researchers also mentioned that the study would include 235 older people to perform a randomized controlled trial. The study is practical and eligible regarding the target and study population. Researchers were able to identify the effects of psychosocial intervention on older people’s feelings of loneliness. The researchers were able to define their study by analyzing sample units of individual groups consisting of 7-8 participants in each sample group.
The study uses a randomized controlled trial as the method design, which has its strengths and weaknesses. The strengths of the design include. The research was able to reduce selection and allocation bias. Participants volunteered to take part in the study. The study was able to compare results from different interviews conducted by registered nurses. However, the research had some weaknesses while using the randomized controlled trial. Trials that test for effectiveness are sometimes larger and require a lot of money to research, and results may fail to indicate real-life situations. However, during instrumentation, researchers used postal questionnaires with background information such as age, gender, income, and level of education. The validity of the questionnaires was effective, as the questions constituted areas affecting the psychological well-being of older people.
The researchers were clear that their research included older people to avoid errors in population inclusion. They understood that to gather data regarding loneliness and social activity, they had to include older people. However, participants were supposed to volunteer for the study, implying that only those interested would respond. Despite this, the researchers were able to select samples from the correct population study.
The measures applied during the research were effective as they analyzed information about older people. Researchers applied questions such as age, gender, level of income, and education in questionaries. The researchers then assessed loneliness by asking whether individuals suffered from lonely life and how often did that occur. The questionnaires had six questions from previous studies that showed good test reliability. The research also applied reliable interviews as registered nurses offered them using their knowledge and experience working with older people.
After completing the study, the results showed that participants were old, lived alone, and their physical activities were reasonably good. To define loneliness scales, participants who scored above 34 indicated an average level of loneliness, and those who scored 50 showed a higher level of loneliness. The research also showed that participants had found new friends. The psychosocial group nursing intervention had positive effects on the overall life of participants. Participants became socially active with a desire to make new friends. Despite having positive effects during the intervention, there arose some issues regarding the study. First and foremost, loneliness is not a stable concept, and most people prefer not to expose it as it seems shameful. Participants only agreed to take part in the study after understanding and becoming familiar with what loneliness entails.
Reference
Routasalo, P. E., Tilvis, R. S., Kautiainen, H., & Pitkala, K. H. (2009). Effects of psychosocial group rehabilitation on social functioning, loneliness and well‐being of lonely, older people: randomized controlled trial. Journal of advanced nursing , 65 (2), 297-305.
