Background: China has the worldâ??s largest aging population and the number of empty-nest older adults is on the\nrise. In comparison to the aging population in general, empty-nest older adults have a lower level of subjective\nwell-being and poorer mental health status due to a lack of emotional support from their children. The aim of this\nstudy is to conduct an empirical study to evaluate the efficacy of the â??Path-oriented Psychological Self-help\nInterventionâ?? (P-oPSI) led by nurses on the mental health of empty-nest older adults in the community, to provide a\nscientific foundation for improving their quality of life.\nMethods: A Quasi-Experimental controlled intervention study was conducted from 2015 to 2017.\nA total of 76 empty-nest older adults from 2 districts were recruited using a convenience sampling and assigned to\n2 groups based on their residential communities in the city of Chifeng in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,\nChina. The wait list control group participated in a mental health lecture to gain knowledge and learn techniques\nof mental health promotion. The intervention group additionally received 1 month of training in a nurse-led â??P-oPSIâ??\nfor a month. Both groups were followed-up for 3 months. Mental health status, coping styles, and psychological\nself-help ability of the participating empty nest older adults were assessed at the baseline, 1 month, and 3-months\nfollow up, respectively. Two-way analysis of variance and a simple effect test were used to analyse the differences\nof the two groups.\nResults: The P-oPSI yielded a greater benefit for the mental health status, coping styles, and psychological self-help\nability of the participants in the intervention group. Combined with a simple effect test, the scores of the mental\nhealth status, positive coping style, and psychological self-help ability of those in the intervention group significantly increased at 1 month after the baseline (F mental health status = 7.59, F positive coping F psychological\nself-help ability = 7.07); and the sustainable effect of this program lasted for 3 months after the intervention (F mental health status = 13.24, F positive coping F psychological self-help ability = 10.45), which reached statistical significance\n(P < 0.01).\nConclusions: The P-oPSI program significantly improved the level of mental health of empty-nest older adults in\nChina. This intervention provides a new approach of self-management to improve mental health of older adults in\ncommunity settings.
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