Social representations of integrative community therapy by the elderly

Objective  To elicit the social representations of the elderly regarding integrative community therapy (ICT).

Method  This is an exploratory study conducted with 273 elderly people in a municipality of northeastern Brazil, in 2014. It is based on the theory of social representations and the free-association test for the inductor term “integrative community therapy”. The data were processed using EVOC software and examined with the structural approach of social representations, followed by a similarity analysis and confrontation with literature.

Results  The organisation and meaning of the representations of ICT chiefly occurred through the core element: Group.

Conclusion  The analysis revealed that the ICT is a support network for the elderly, where they feel they belong to a group and feel empowered through participation in the sessions.

Therapeutics; Aged; Mental health