title: A quasi-experimental study of a reminiscence program focused on autobiographical memory in institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment.
abstract: Working with past memories through reminiscence interventions has been practiced for several decades with successful outcomes on mental health in older adults. Few studies however have focused on autobiographical memory recall in older individuals with cognitive impairment. This study aims to analyze the impact of an individual reminiscence program in a group of older persons with cognitive decline living in nursing homes on the dimensions of cognition, autobiographical memory, mood, behavior and anxiety. A two-group pre-test and post-test design with single blinded assessment was conducted. Forty-one participants were randomized to an experimental group (n=20) and a control group (n=21). The first group attended five weekly individual reminiscence sessions. Changes in the outcome measures were examined for cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment; Autobiographical Memory Test), behavior (Alzheimer Disease Assessment Subscale Non-Cog) and emotional status (Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia; Geriatric Depression Scale, and Geriatric Anxiety Inventory). Participants attending reminiscence sessions exhibited better outcomes compared to the control group in cognition, anxiety and depression (p<0.001), and presented a higher number of retrieved autobiographical events, specificity of evoked memories and positive valence of events (p<0.001), and also presented lower latency time for recalling events, and lower negative recalled events (p<0.01). This study supports the potential value of reminiscence therapy in improving the recall of autobiographical memory. Reminiscence therapy can be helpful to maintain or improve cognitive function, decrease anxiety and manage depressive symptoms and altered behavior, but further investigation is needed to clarify long-term effects.
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Investigação e Formação de Adultos e Idosos (UNIFAI), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; Centro Hospitalar Cova da Beira, EPE, Covilhã, Portugal., Largo dos Condes n° 1, 6250-111 Caria, Portugal. Electronic address: aseret.lopes@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Teresa Silveira
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Investigação e Formação de Adultos e Idosos (UNIFAI), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; Departamento de Psicologia e Educação, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rosa Marina Lopes Brás Martins
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Afonso
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Investigação e Formação de Adultos e Idosos (UNIFAI), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; ISSSP e Escola Superior de Saúde da Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Óscar Manuel
authors.initials: ÓM
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D016037:Single-Blind Method
keywords: Dementia; No pharmacological therapy; Older persons; Reminiscence