The Effects of Interaction with Children in Symptoms of Depression in the Elderly

The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of social interaction with children on the symptoms of depression in elderly participants at the John C. Lincoln Adult Day Healthcare center when compared to depressive symptoms in the elderly who do not regularly interact with children. This organization provides care to elderly members of the community in a dignified and stimulating manner. It allows caregivers of participants to take a break from day to day responsibilities while providing the participants with a safe and active environment. It shares premises with the Lincoln Learning Center, which is a care/educational facility for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years of age. The children and the elderly interact one day a week for half an hour in a planned activity in the Adult Day Healthcare Center. The Geriatric Depression Scale- Short Form was used to assess for presence of depressive symptoms in both the control group (those who did not regularly interact with children) and the experimental group (those who did regularly interact with the children). The scale consisted of 15 yes-or-no questions regarding the average emotions the participants experienced in a week. A total of 15 people participated in the study, eight in the control group and seven in the experimental group. Eight of the participants were male, seven were female and they ranged in age from 58 to 96 years old. An independent sample t-test was performed to assess the data for statistical significance.