Effect of Positive Psychological Intervention on Well-Being,2-Week Illness Prevalence,and Salivary Immunoglobulin A

Abstract

The study aims to explore the effect of positive psychological intervention (fun activities combined with positive mental health education) on the well-being, 2-week illness prevalence, and salivary immunoglobulin A of empty nesters. Ninety-two empty nesters were divided into intervention (n = 49) and control (n = 43) groups. The empty nesters in the intervention group performed the intervention in addition to routine community activities. The intervention group scored significantly higher on well-being (p< .05) compared with the control group after intervention. A week after intervention, salivary immunoglobulin A of the intervention group (p< .05) was higher than that before intervention. Meanwhile, the difference in salivary immunoglobulin A in the control group before and after intervention was not statistically significant. 2-week illness prevalence in both groups did not exhibit a significant difference (p> .05). Results indicate that positive psychological intervention can effectively increase the well-being and salivary immunoglobulin A of empty nesters and improve their physical and mental health.

Keywords

intervention well-being prevalence immunoglobulin A aged

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Arslantas

Adana

Abacigil Ergin

Kayar

Acar

(2015). Loneliness in elderly people, associated factors and its correlation with quality of life: A field study from Western Turkey. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 44, 43-50.

Bolier

Haverman

Westerhof

G. J.

Riper

Smit

Bohlmeijer

(2013). Positive psychology interventions: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. BMC Public Health, 13, Article 119.

Bruin

E. D.

Schoene

Pichierri

Smith

S. T.

(2010). Use of virtual reality technique for the training of motor control in the elderly: Some theoretical considerations. Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie, 43, 229-234.

Center for Statistics Information Ministry of Health. (2009). National Health Services Survey of China in 2008: An analysis report of the Fourth Household Health Survey. Beijing, China: PekingUnionMedicalCollege Press.

Chen

X. L.

Yin

Z. Q.

S. J.

Jiang

M. M.

Lan

X. F.

Zhao

S. T.

(2016). Effect of positive experience intervention on anxiety, depression and quality of life among rural empty nesters. Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing, 32, 435-439.

The ChineseAcademy of Social Sciences Institute of Language Dictionary Newsroom. (2005). Modern Chinese dictionary (5th ed.). Beijing, China: Commercial Press.

Cohen

Doyle

W. J.

Turner

R. B.

Alper

C. M.

Skoner

D. P.

(2003). Emotional style and susceptibility to the common cold. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 652-657.

Cohen

Pressman

S. D.

(2006). Positive affect and health. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15, 122-125.

Dale

Brassington

King

(2014). The impact of healthy lifestyle interventions on mental health and wellbeing: A systematic review. Mental Health Review Journal, 19, 1-26.

10.

Deng

(2013). The application of structured group play therapy in single teenager groups—Take XuKou town’s weekend joy school as an example. Suzhou, China: SuzhouUniversity.

11.

Duan

J. H.

(1996). Summary of subjective well-being. Dynamic Psychology, 4, 46-51.

12.

Harrison

L. K.

Carroll

Burns

V. E.

Corkill

A. R.

Harrison

C. M.

Ring

Drayson

(2000). Cardiovascular and secretory immunoglobulin A reactions to humorous, exciting, and didactic film presentations. Biological Psychology, 52, 113-126.

13.

Heok

K. E.

(2008). The many faces of geriatric depression. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 21, 540-545.

14.

Hoyt

L. T.

Lindsay

C. L.

McDade

T. W.

Adam

E. K.

(2012). Positive youth, healthy adults: Does positive well-being in adolescence predict better perceived health and fewer risky health behaviors in young adulthood? The Journal of Adolescent Health, 50, 66-73.

15.

Jemmott

J. B.

Magloire

(1988). Academic stress, social support, and secretory immunoglobulin A. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 803-810.

16.

Kozma

Stones

M. J.

(1980). The measurement of happiness: Development of the Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH). Journal of Gerontology, 35, 906-912.

17.

Lampinen

Heikkinen

R. L.

Kauppinen

Heikkinen

(2006). Activity as a predictor of mental well-being among older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 10, 454-466.

18.

Lei

Jiang

Yin

S. P.

Ding

Pan

(2014). Effects of positive psychological intervention on the mental health and general well-being of elders. Journal of ShandongUniversity (Health Sciences), 52, 93-96.

19.

M. H.

Tang

(2012). Application of saliva test in sports-related biochemical indexes analysis. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 16, 2071-2075.

20.

Liang

(2014). Exploratory analysis of health-related quality of life among the empty-nest elderly in rural China: An empirical study in three economically developed cities in eastern China. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 12, 59-75.

21.

G. Q.

Z. J.

(2005). Exercise, salivary IgA and mucosal immunity. Journal of Shenyang Physical Education Institute, 24, 66-68.

22.

Meng

W. J.

(2008). The theory of positive mental health education. Educational Research, 5, 41-45.

23.

Navazesh

(1993). Methods for collecting saliva. Annals of the New YorkAcademy of Sciences, 694, 72-77.

24.

Papacosta

Nassis

G. P.

(2011). Saliva as a tool for monitoring steroid, peptide and immune markers in sport and exercise science. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 14, 424-434.

25.

Rosenberg

P. B.

Mielke

M. M.

Xue

Q. L.

(2010). Depressive symptoms predict Incident cognitive impairment in cognitive healthy older women. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18, 204-211.

26.

Sheng

B. L.

(2013). The effects of music intervention on emotional stress and immune function among youth taekwondo athletes. Exploration Area, 4, 260-261.

27.

Stone

A. A.

(1994). Daily events associated with a secretary immune response to an oral antigen in men. Health Psychology, 13, 440-446.

28.

Stone

A. A.

Marco

C. A.

Cruise

C. E.

Cox

D. S.

Neale

J. M.

(1996). Are stress-induced immunological changes mediated by mood? A closer look at how both desirable and undesirable daily events influence SIgA antibody. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 3, 1-13.

29.

Tsujita

Morimoto

(2002). A feeling of interest was associated with a transient increase in salivary immunoglobulin A secretion in students attending a lecture. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 7, 22-26.

30.

Wang

Zhang

J. F.

Z. J.

Wang

F. Y.

(2011). Influence of reminiscence therapy on depression and happiness degree of empty nest elderly in community. Chinese Nursing Research, 25, 3192-3194.

31.

Xie

J. F.

Ding

S. Q.

Zhong

Z. Q.

Q. F.

Zeng

S. N.

J. H.

Zhou

J. F.

(2014). Mental health is the most important factor influencing quality of life in elderly left behind when families migrate out of rural China. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, 22, 364-370.

32.

Y. H.

J. Q.

Cao

(2015). Saliva immune globulin and disease. Chinese Journal of Immunology, 31, 1120-1122.

33.

Yang

D. Y.

Zhao

(2004). Current situation and countermeasures of empty nesters in China. Modern Clinical Nursing, 3, 60-62.

34.

Zhang

(2005). The limits of experience: British empirical aesthetics research. Beijing: China Social Sciences Press.