ABSTRACT

Objective : The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of group occupational therapy including education regarding depression, anxiety, and activity participation in people with dementia. Methods : Nineteen people with dementia were randomly assigned to experimental(n=10) and control group(n=9). The participants in experimental group conducted occupational therapy including education, whereas the control group occupational therapy only. Pre- and post- assessments were applied using Korean form of Geriatric Depression Scale(K-GDS), Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAM-A), State Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI-X-1), and Korean Activity Card Sort (K-ACS). Results : When comparing the differences between pre- and post- of the intervention, the depression and anxiety of occupational therapy group including the educational program decreased statistically(p<.05). Conclusion : This study has shown that occupational therapy including education has significant effects on reducing depression and anxiety in people with dementia. In the future, it will be necessary to develop an intervention program to strengthen the psychological and emotional aspects of people with dementia, and various studies in the field of occupational therapy focusing on care giver education should be conducted.