Published Paper Details:

In positive mental health, self-acceptance promotes inner harmony, reduces anxiety and depression, and enhances personal growth and life satisfaction, laying the foundation for meaningful relationships and overall emotional resilience. Hence self acceptance is an integral part of positive mental health. Studies in this area have strongly advocated the benefits of regular physical exercise in enhancing mood states but its efficacy in improving self-acceptace component of positive mental health is not conclusive with a lack of scientific studies in the elderly population. 100 elderly women from Raipur district of Chhattisgarh were selected purposively. Only those women with low levels of self-acceptance were selected. 50 elderly women were placed in the experimental group while the remaining 50 elderly women constituted the control group. To assess self-acceptance in elderly females, a positive mental health inventory of Agashe and Helode (2007) was used. The results reveal a significant increase in self acceptance of elderly women of the experimental group during the 06 months study period (F=48.11, p<.01). Although a significant difference in self acceptance of elderly women was also observed (F=10.49, p<.01) but it lacks uniformity. The gain score comparison further revealed that the self acceptance of elderly women from the experimental group was increased significantly as compared to elderly women in the control group. It was concluded that the six-month interventional physical exercise program proved effective in improving the self-acceptance component of positive mental health among elderly women. Therefore, integrating a structured physical exercise routine into their daily lives is recommended to promote greater self-acceptance.