The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of movement group therapy as a nursing intervention on depression, morale, and self-esteem in a sample of women ages 65 years and older who resided in four intermediate care facility nursing homes in Southwest Texas. The research questions were: (1) What effect does movement group therapy have on depression, morale, and self-esteem in aged women? (2) What is the relationship between certain demographic variables and depression, morale, and self-esteem?.

A quasi-experimental pre/post test design was used to test the four research hypotheses of the study. The hypotheses summarily stated are: Women who participate in movement group therapy will have lower depression, higher morale, higher behavior-morale, and higher self-esteem than women who do not participate in movement group therapy.

Analysis of variance (ANOVA) findings for hypotheses one through four revealed that significant differences (p = $<$0.05) existed among the four study groups for levels of depression, morale, behavior-morale and self-esteem. Significant differences were also found for pre-post test conditions and interaction relative to behavior-morale.

Duncan's range test for mean differences revealed that group E1 differed significantly from group E2 in relation to behavior-morale. Additionally, group E1 was the only group to experience a significant (p = 0.05) change in pre to post test scores. Simple F test findings for differences in rates of gain in behavior-morale revealed that subjects in movement therapy group E1 significantly (p = $<$0.05) improved when compared with the other three groups.

Movement therapy group E1 had the lowest mean pre-post test behavior-morale scale (BMS) scores, but demonstrated a significant rate of gain in mean BMS scores (p = $<$0.05). Group E2 had the highest mean BMS score at pre and post test, although the rate of gain overtime was not significant.

Simple correlation analysis revealed that posttest depression was negatively associated with length of time in nursing home and positively associated with hypnotic/sedative type medicines. Posttest behavior-morale was positively associated with congenital anomalies and negatively associated with: (1) the use of antibiotic type medication, (2) bedbath, and (3) blood pressure reading (p = $<$.05). No significant correlations existed between morale, self-esteem, and the demographic/status variables. This study provided empirical support for theoretical and clinical positions postulating a direct relationship between movement therapy and improvement in psychological well-being among the aged.