Abstract

Background: Most older people living in Korean nursing homes (NH) have high physical dependency and experience disconnection from social relationships, which can cause psychological problems such as depression. In an effort to solve these problems, we performed a storytelling intervention.

Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-post test, follow-up, and control group design was used to investigate the effect of a storytelling program on nursing home residents. Participants from four nursing homes were assigned to the experimental group (n = 21) and control group (n = 21). The final sample included 21 participants who participated in the storytelling grogram for six weeks and 21 control participants.

Results: Social support (F = 4.714, p = 0.012), interaction between nurses and NH residents (F = 5.972, p = 0.019), and a person-centered climate (F = 3.801, p = 0.026) showed a significant difference following the storytelling program intervention. Further, social support, the interaction between nurses and NH residents, and emotional expressions were significantly increased in the intervention group as opposed to the control group at four weeks post intervention.

Conclusions: Storytelling programs should be used as effective interventions for nursing home residents.