Evaluating Solution-Focused Brief Therapy for Chinese Older Adults

Purpose: This study examined the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) in alleviating psychological distress of Chinese older adults living in nursing homes. Method: In this randomized pretest–posttest pilot trial, participants ( N = 40) were randomly assigned to SFBT or treatment-as-usual (TAU) and outcomes were assessed with standardized, psychometrically sound measure. Treatment effects were analyzed using analysis-of-covariance, and between-group small-sample-size corrected using Hedges’ g across measures of psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and hope. Results: The results revealed that participants receiving SFBT reported a significantly greater reduction in distress, depression, anxiety, and improvement in hope as compared to those in TAU. Discussion: Results suggest SFBT's efficacy for addressing internalizing disorders in older Chinese adults furthering it as a research-supported intervention. With significant concurrent improvement of older Chinese adults’ hope and their mental health outcomes, this study advances the literature in suggesting hope as a potential intervention mediator.