The Effect of Horticultural Therapy on Loneliness and Life Satisfaction in Elderly Adults Living in Nursing Home

NCT06311825 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: IstanbulUCDH
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 54
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Loneliness in elderly individuals increases with age and negatively affects individuals by decreasing life satisfaction. In recent years, horticultural therapy is a type of therapy that has developed and is added routine care of elderly individuals living in nursing homes. Social interaction, life satisfaction, feelings of success and responsibility and increase while loneliness and depression levels decrease through human-nature interaction in horticultural therapy. In our country, no study has been found on the effects of horticultural therapy on physical or mental health in elderly individuals. This research will be conducted as a randomized control group study to examine the effects of horticultural therapy on loneliness and life satisfaction in elderly individuals living in nursing homes.

Conditions

Horticultural Therapy; Loneliness; Satisfaction, Personal; Aging

Keywords

Horticultural Therapy; Elderly; Loneliness; Life Satisfaction

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Loneliness Scale for Elderly

  The scale measures the loneliness levels of the elderly and consists of 11 items. The scale consists of two sub-dimensions: social loneliness and emotional loneliness. In the scale, 5 items are coded directly (1, 4, 7, 8, 11), and 6 items are reverse coded (2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10). The degree to which the person experiences the situation contained in each statement in the scale is determined by a 3-point Likert type rating (0 = yes, 1 = possible, 2 = no). The lowest score to be obtained from the scale is 0 and the highest score is 22. Higher scale scores indicate increased loneliness levels. The internal consistency Cronbach's alpha coefficient is α=is .85.

  3 Month

• Life Satisfaction Scale

  The scale consists of 5 items and a single sub-dimension. The original scale is a seven-point Likert type, with answers ranging from 1-Strongly Agree to 7-Strongly Disagree. In the Turkish validity and reliability study conducted on adults, the seven-point Likert type was not found to be suitable for Turkish culture and the number of steps was reduced from seven to five. Scoring of the items in the scale; It was determined as "I totally disagree (1), I slightly agree (2), I moderately agree (3), I largely agree (4) and I totally agree (5)". The Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale was reported as 0.88 and the test-retest reliability was reported as 0.97.

  3 Month

Study Arms (2)

Horticultural Therapy Group (Experimental)

EXPERIMENTAL

Horticultural therapy will be applied to experimental group.

Other: Horticultural Therapy

Controls (Control Group)

NO INTERVENTION

No intervention will be applied to the control group.

Interventions

Horticultural Therapy OTHER

One week before horticultural therapy (HT) interventions, face-to-face interviews will be held with the individuals in the experimental group and the forms will be filled in as a pretest. HT will be applied to the experimental group. The application period was determined as a total of 6 weeks with 50-minute sessions twice a week. Before starting the HT sessions, area preparations will be made and a safe therapeutic garden will be established. Medicinal and aromatic plants will be selected that can grow in Turkey, are not harmful to human health, are fragrant and colorful in order to stimulate the senses, and according to air temperature and physical conditions. HT sessions will consist of gardening activities (group meeting, introduction of plants and cultivation). After HT interventions, the forms will be filled as a post test. The forms will be filled again 4 weeks after the end of the interventions for follow-up.

Horticultural Therapy Group (Experimental)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 60 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Over 60 years old,
• Being literate,
• Living in nursing home for at least 3 months,
• Not diagnosed with dementia,
• Mini Mental Test Score\>24
• No additional neurological disease,
• No history of serious psychiatric illness,
• Not in the acute phase of a systemic disease,
• No vision or hearing loss that would hinder gardening activities,
• Does not have a physical disability that would hinder gardening activities,
• No history of falls,
• Not participating in different applications at the same time.

You may not qualify if:

• Persons with allergic reactions to soil and plants that may hinder with gardening activities.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa: lead

Study Sites (1)

Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa (IUC)

Istanbul, Şişli, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Personal Satisfaction

Interventions

Horticultural Therapy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics; Psychotherapy; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities

Study Officials

• Hülya Bilgin, PhD

  Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Sima Pouya, PhD

  Malatya Inonu University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: Two parallel groups randomized control study

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 7, 2024
• First Posted: March 15, 2024
• Study Start: April 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: July 31, 2024
• Study Completion: October 31, 2024
• Last Updated: February 18, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)