The Effect of Recreational Games on Happiness, Life Satisfaction, Loneliness, and Somatisation in Elderly Individuals

NCT06505070 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: Duzce-U-merve0003
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

As per the United Nations population projections, the percentage of individuals aged 65 and older in the global population is expected to increase from 10% in 2022 to 16% by the year 2050. In response to this demographic shift, the United Nations emphasizes the importance of ageing countries establishing long-term sustainable care institutions and taking measures to ensure the adaptation of the elderly to these institutions. Recreational activities play a crucial role in supporting and encouraging elderly individuals to maintain active and productive lives in their old age while preserving their social roles. Aim: To measure the influence of recreational games on somatisation, loneliness, happiness and life satisfaction among elderly individuals.

Conditions

Happiness; Life Satisfaction; Loneliness; Somatization

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Happiness levels

  Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short Form: The form, created by Hills and Argyle, comprises a 29-item scale utilizing a 6-point Likert-type scoring system. Its abbreviated version, containing 7 items, was translated into Turkish in 2011. The internal consistency, evaluated using Cronbach's alpha, resulted in a value of 0.74, whereas the test-retest reliability coefficient was recorded as 0.85. The highest score that can be obtained from the scale is 174 and the lowest score is 29. An increase in the score means an increase in the level of happiness.

  Before the interventions (pre-test), 1 week (post-test) and 1 month (follow-up test) after the interventions

• Satisfaction with life levels

  Satisfaction with Life Scale: The scale was developed by Diener et al. (1985) to determine the satisfaction people get from life and consists of a 7-point Likert scale with unidimensional structure comprising 5 items. During its adaptation to the Turkish language, the scale underwent modification into a 5-point Likert scale. The Cronbach alpha of the scale was 0.88 and the test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.97.

  Before the interventions (pre-test), 1 week (post-test) and 1 month (follow-up test) after the interventions

• Loneliness levels

  De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale: The scale, crafted by Gierveld and Kamphuis (1985) to gauge the degree of loneliness among older individuals, underwent linguistic adaptation to Turkish in 2015. The scale's Cronbach alpha was 0.85. Comprising 11 items and 2 subscales, the scale encompasses six negative items evaluating emotional loneliness and 5 positive items appraising social loneliness. Employing a 3-point Likert-type scale, with five items scored inversely, the scale's minimum and maximum scores are 0 and 22, respectively.

  Before the interventions (pre-test), 1 week (post-test) and 1 month (follow-up test) after the interventions

• Somatisation levels

  Symptom Check-List Somatisation Subscale: The scale, originally developed by Derogatis, Lipman, and Covi (1973) and subsequently adapted to the Turkish language by Kılıc (1991), is known as SCL-90-R. It is a diagnostic tool for assessing psychological concerns and identifying individual symptoms. The scale comprises nine subcategories, which encompass interpersonal sensitivity, obsessive-compulsive behaviour, somatisation, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, anger-hostility, anxiety, depression and phobic anxiety, utilizing a 4-point Likert type scale. The reliability coefficient for the somatisation subcategory was found to be 0.82.

  Before the interventions (pre-test), 1 week (post-test) and 1 month (follow-up test) after the interventions

Study Arms (2)

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

Individuals in the control group continued their daily routines. They were chosen from another nursing home to avoid interaction with the experimental group.

Experimental group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the intervention group engaged in bingo, matching pairs, word challenges, and hot-and-cold games, organized into groups of eight individuals. They adhered to the game instructions and participated in sessions twice a week for 2 months, totalling 16 sessions. In each session, all individuals played all four games, so one played 64 games in 16 sessions. Sessions are planned to last 45 minutes.

Behavioral: Recreational Games

Interventions

Recreational Games BEHAVIORAL

40 individuals in the intervention group were introduced to 15 games. Researchers conducted these sessions and provided participants with instructions and rules for the games. Then, they were asked to rate the games from 1 to 10. In this form, the elderly individuals evaluated the games by determining the minimum "1" and maximum "10" points according to their interest and willingness to play. Thus, it was ensured that individuals freely choose the games they want to play. As a result, bingo, matching pairs, word challenges and hot-cold games, which received the highest scores from the participants, were selected to be played.

Experimental group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• aged 65 years and above and residing in the designated nursing homes during the study duration,
• expressing willingness to participate in the research,
• attaining a score of 23 or higher (for individuals with five or more years of formal education) or 19 or higher (for those with fewer than five years of formal education) on the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination for Educated and Uneducated Individuals,
• displaying openness to communication.

You may not qualify if:

• Unconscious
• Individuals who decline to participate in the study
• Individuals using antipsychotic medication

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Duzce University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Duzce University

Düzce, 81100, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Cakar M, Kadioglu H. The effect of recreational games on happiness, life satisfaction, loneliness, and somatisation in elderly individuals: a non-randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychol. 2025 Mar 22;13(1):289. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02583-6.

  PMID: 40121499 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Personal Satisfaction

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Hasibe Kadıoglu

  Marmara University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 2, 2024
• First Posted: July 17, 2024
• Study Start: January 8, 2018
• Primary Completion: March 29, 2020
• Study Completion: August 10, 2020
• Last Updated: August 2, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-08

Locations

TU (1)