Long-term effects and impact of a positive psychology intervention for Brazilian retirees

Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) are useful tools for improving health and are suggested for the treatment of individuals in advanced ages or at risk for developing depression. This quasi-experimental study evaluated the three-month follow-up results of a PPI (six-weekly group sessions) of health promotion of retirees. Follow-up respondents ( n = 81; experimental = 47, controls = 34) ages ranged from 49 to 83 years ( M = 65.38, SD = 7.43), 79% female. The instruments were: sociodemographic questionnaire; Resilience Scale; Interpersonal Reactivity Index; Satisfaction with Life Scale; Life Orientation Test-Revised; General Health Questionnaire and Perceived Stress Scale. Multivariate Analysis of Variance and Mixed Anova results indicated main effects of the program on life satisfaction, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Interaction effects were found for depression, and anxiety symptoms improvement in the experimental group, when compared with controls. The findings suggest that gains in health indicators were maintained after the intervention ended. This pattern of intervention seemed to be beneficial for health improvements for older adults and may be a valuable practice for health professionals.