The effect of nursing care based on Kolcaba's comfort theory on the quality of life and psychological well-being levels of the aged people

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of nursing care based on Kolcaba's comfort theory on the quality of life and psychological well-being levels of the elderly. Materials and Methods: This study is a randomised controlled experimental research. The population of the study consisted of 775 individuals aged 65 years and over residing in Çeştepe and Tepecik neighbourhoods of Efeler district of Aydın province, and the sample consisted of a total of 112 individuals, 56 in the experimental group and 56 in the control group. The data of the study were collected with the questionnaire form prepared by the researcher, Quality of Life Scale in the Elderly and Psychological Well-Being Scale in the Elderly. Each application was planned for the experimental group one day a week for one and a half hours for a total of 8 weeks. Each session was conducted through home visits and individually. Follow-up measurements were made in the 1st month and 3rd month after the interventions of the experimental group were completed. The control group did not receive any intervention until the end of the study and follow-up measurements were performed at the 1st month and 3rd month after the first measurement. Descriptive statistical analyses, Mann Whitney U, Likelihood Ratio, Pearson chi-square and Friedman tests were used for comparisons outside normal distribution. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for the evaluation of normal distribution as the initial analysis and values at p<0.05 level were considered statistically significant. Ethics committee, mukhtar's office, scale use permissions and participant written consents were obtained. Results: When the sociodemographic characteristics of the elderly in the experimental and control groups were compared, it was found that there was a significant difference in terms of having a chronic disease, in the comparison of the mean scores of the total and sub-dimensions of the Quality of Life in the Elderly Scale of the 1st and 2nd Measurement before and after the training of the elderly in the experimental and control groups; no difference was found before the training, and the mean scores of the elderly in the experimental group were higher than the control group. measurement autonomy sub-dimension, post-training 1st measurement pleasure sub-dimension, post-training 1st measurement self-actualization sub-dimension and post-training 1st measurement Quality of Life in the Elderly Scale total mean scores were higher than the control group. When the pre-training, post-training (1st and 2nd measurements) mean scores of the Quality of Life Scale for the Elderly (total and sub-dimensions) were compared within the experimental group, a statistically significant difference was found in the self-realization sub-dimension. Furthermore, when the total mean scores of the Psychological Well-Being Scale for the Elderly were compared at the same time points within the experimental group, a statistically significant difference was observed (p < 0.05). In the control group, when the pre-training, post-training (1st and 2nd measurements) mean scores of the Quality of Life Scale for the Elderly (total and sub-dimensions) were compared, statistically significant differences were observed in the total score, as well as in the control, autonomy, pleasure, and self-realization sub-dimensions. Additionally, a significant difference was found in the total mean scores of the Psychological Well-Being Scale for the Elderly across the same time points in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In the experimental group, statistically significant increases were observed in the total score of the Quality of Life Scale and in the sub-dimensions of autonomy, pleasure, and self-realization, as well as in the scores of the Psychological Well-Being Scale following the training. Although some significant differences were also identified in certain sub-dimensions over time within the control group, the increases observed in the experimental group were more pronounced and statistically significant. These findings suggest that the training provided had a positive impact on the quality of life and psychological well-being levels of elderly individuals.