Does Cognitive Stimulation Therapy show similar efficacy in individuals with mild-to-moderate dementia from varying etiologies? An examination comparing its effectiveness in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective
The effectiveness of the Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is well-documented. Nevertheless, the question of whether specific subgroups of individuals with dementia are more or less likely to benefit from this cognitive stimulation intervention remains unaddressed. Here, we directly compared the effectiveness of the Italian CST (CST-IT), delivered in a previous multicenter controlled clinical trial, across two distinct cohorts of individuals clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease (AD, N = 30) and vascular dementia (VaD, N = 27) in the mild-to-moderate stage.
Method
The impact of dementia subtype (AD vs VaD) on immediate (at intervention completion) benefits of CST-IT in general cognitive functioning, communicative abilities, mood, behavior and perceived quality of life was evaluated through linear mixed effects models. The frequency and severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms at baseline was inserted as a covariate due to the different behavioral profile in the two groups. Exploratory analyses also investigated the potential differential effect of dementia subtype on long-term benefits (three months after intervention).
Results
The CST-IT determined comparable immediate, clinically significant improvements in general cognition and communicative abilities. Dementia subtype influenced short-term benefits in depressive symptoms (with a greater decrease in AD patients) and quality of life (no significant impact in AD, and a small improvement in VaD). Such effects depended on diagnosis-related differences in neuropsychiatric symptoms. At long-term, benefits persisted in general cognition (though depending on the outcome considered). Improvements in narratives were seen in VaD, whereas communicative abilities in AD returned to baseline. Post-intervention gains in depressive symptoms persisted in AD, but not in VaD, although benefits in quality of life remained stable in the latter.
Conclusions
Different mechanisms of neuropsychological change after CST-IT were hypothesized for the different forms of dementia, particularly with respect to crucial outcomes such as language, mood and quality of life, with implications toward the delivery of such psychosocial intervention in clinical contexts.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology is dedicated to publishing manuscripts with a strong emphasis on both basic and applied research, encompassing experimental, clinical, and theoretical contributions that advance the fields of Clinical and Health Psychology. With a focus on four core domains—clinical psychology and psychotherapy, psychopathology, health psychology, and clinical neurosciences—the IJCHP seeks to provide a comprehensive platform for scholarly discourse and innovation. The journal accepts Original Articles (empirical studies) and Review Articles. Manuscripts submitted to IJCHP should be original and not previously published or under consideration elsewhere. All signing authors must unanimously agree on the submitted version of the manuscript. By submitting their work, authors agree to transfer their copyrights to the Journal for the duration of the editorial process.