The effect of therapy on the mental health of the elderly.

This research synthesis was undertaken to study the effects of treatment on the mental health of elderly people. Forty-one controlled studies were analyzed using meta-analytic techniques. Type of treatment along with subject, therapist, setting, and methodological characteristics of the studies were identified and their contributions to mental health outcomes measured. Results indicated that the mean outcome of the experimental group, treated with any type of treatment improved from the fiftieth percentile to the seventieth percentile relative to the mean of the untreated control groups. This research synthesis supports the belief that, in general, treatment is effective in enhancing the mental health of the elderly.