The effects of instrumental reminiscence on resilience and coping in elderly

The effect of a resourcefulness-based instrumental reminiscence program for nursing home residents: A pilot study

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effect of a resourcefulness-based instrumental reminiscence program (RIRP) for nursing home residents.

METHODS

This study was a mixed-methods study with one-group pretest-posttest design. The RIRP incorporated Emotional Venting, Reconstruction Strategies, Planning for Future, and Strengthening Support. It was performed once a week for 6 weeks. A post-intervention interview was conducted to explore participants' perception of the RIRP and quantitative data about psychological adjustment, learned resourcefulness, social support, self-efficacy, and quality of life were collected.

RESULTS

40 participants completed the RIRP with an 88.9% intervention compliance rate. 92.5% participants satisfied with the RIRP. A significant improvement was identified in psychological adjustment, learned resourcefulness, self-efficacy, social support, and mental health in nursing home residents after the RIRP. Qualitative results identified three prominent categories: innovation, benefits, and challenges.

CONCLUSION

The innovative RIRP is a feasible intervention in potentially improving psychological adjustment, learned resourcefulness, self-efficacy, social support, and mental health of nursing home residents.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (https://www.chictr.org.cn/). Identifier: ChiCTR2100042767. Date of trial Registration: 28/01/2021.

Experiential avoidance as a mediator of risk factors for higher order internalizing psychopathology in the perinatal period

OBJECTIVES

Perinatal psychopathology can be damaging. This study examined the strength of the associations between risk factors and all perinatal mood and anxiety disorder symptoms while assessing the mediating effect of experiential avoidance.

METHOD

Participants (N = 246) completed assessments during pregnancy (28-32 weeks) and the postpartum (6-8 weeks). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine associations between risk factors and latent factors: distress (composed of depression, generalized anxiety, irritability, and panic symptoms); fear (social anxiety, agoraphobia, specific phobia, and obsessive-compulsive); and bipolar (mania and obsessive-compulsive).

RESULTS

During pregnancy, past psychiatric history, anxiety sensitivity, maladaptive coping, and age were significant risk factors. In the postpartum, negative maternal attitudes and past psychiatric history were only risk factors for symptoms that composed distress. Experiential avoidance mediated the relation between maladaptive coping and symptoms that composed fear.

CONCLUSION

It is important to assess for psychological risk factors starting in pregnancy. This study identified critical risk factors that are associated with the underlying commonality among perinatal mood and anxiety symptoms. Some of the risk factors as well as the mediator are malleable (negative maternal attitudes, experiential avoidance), creating new possibilities for prevention and treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorder symptoms.

The effects of resourcefulness-based instrumental reminiscence therapy on psychological adjustment in nursing home residents: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Older adults do not always adapt successfully to nursing homes. Learning resourcefulness and instrumental reminiscence may contribute to the psychological adjustment made by nursing home residents. How both attributes can be combined to enhance residents' adjustment remains unclear.

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the effects of resourcefulness-based instrumental reminiscence therapy (RBIRT) on psychological adjustment, learned resourcefulness, self-efficacy, social support and quality of life (QoL) of nursing home residents.

METHODS

A randomised, controlled, assessor-blinded, parallel-arm trial was conducted between January 2022 and February 2023 in Fujian, China, with 120 participants (intervention = 60, comparison = 60) from two separate nursing homes. The intervention group participants received a 6-week RBIRT, involving Reminiscence Interview, Emotional Venting, Reconstruction Strategies, Planning for the Future and Strengthening Support. The control group participants received routine institutional care. Participants were assessed using the Nursing Home Adjustment Scale, Resourcefulness Scale, General Self-efficacy Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale and the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline (T0), immediately post intervention (T1) and at 1-month (T2) and 3-months (T3) post-intervention.

RESULTS

Participants in the intervention group showed significant improvement in 'psychological adjustment,' 'learned resourcefulness,' 'self-efficacy,' 'social support' and 'QoL-mental health dimension' compared to the control group (P < 0.001). These effects were sustained at the 1- and 3-month follow-ups.

CONCLUSIONS

Innovative RBIRT improved psychological adjustment, learned resourcefulness, self-efficacy, social support and mental health-related QoL among nursing home residents.

The Role of Autobiographical Resilience Memories in Emotion Regulation: An Account of Age Differences in Mnemonic and Positive Reappraisal

A lifetime of resilience through emotionally challenging experiences may benefit older adults, lending to emotion regulation mastery with time. Yet the influence of autobiographical experiences on momentary reappraisal, the reinterpretation of negative stimuli as more positive, has never been empirically tested. This online study examined the extent to which associating life memories of resilience with novel negative scenarios enhanced reappraisal efficacy and reduced difficulty to reappraise. Younger and older adults reappraised negative images by associating reappraisals to freely selected autobiographical resilience memories, cued autobiographical resilience memories, or by finding situational silver linings without mnemonic association (control). Changes in image emotional intensity ratings revealed no difference across reappraisal conditions for younger adults, while older adults most effectively down-regulated emotional intensity using the control reappraisal strategy. Older adults found autobiographical memories more helpful for mood regulation and less difficult to implement, and identified greater similarities between novel negative scenarios and their memories than younger adults. Surprisingly, greater similarity between resilience memories and negative images was associated with lower reappraisal efficacy for both age groups. Findings demonstrate the age-equivalent benefits of utilizing reappraisals associated with past narratives of resilience and suggest a sacrifice of immediate hedonic benefit for disproportionately greater subjective benefits with age.

Resilience in Older People: A Concept Analysis

(1) Background: Resilience has been presented as a potential protective factor to be promoted in difficult experiences in older people. However, further clarification of the concept of resilience for this population is required, as this is of critical interest for nursing care. (2) Aim: To develop the concept of resilience in older people to establish the elements that refer to the nursing outcome. Personal resilience (1309) from the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC), specifically in older people. (3) Methods: Concept analysis using Beth Rodgers' evolutionary model. The attributes, antecedents, consequents, and empirical elements were described in the integrative review, with searches in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, LILACS, and Embase databases. A total of 2431 citations have been identified, and 110 studies were included. (4) Results: The concept of "resilience in older people" is composed of two attributes, available resources and positive behaviors, and is defined as positive attitudes of older people with the assistance of resources available from experiences of adversity. Conclusion: This analysis and concept development of resilience in older people provided sensitive indicators for nursing care in the context of adversity, considering available resources and with positive attitudes during this phase of life span.

The effect of group reminiscence therapy on death anxiety and adaptation of the elderly to old age

AIM

In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of group reminiscence on death anxiety and adaptation of the elderly to old age.

METHODS

This is a clinical trial study. Using simple random sampling method, we divided 32 elderly people into the intervention (n = 16) and control (n = 16) groups. Reminiscence therapy was held in 12 sessions. The study instruments including demographic characteristics questionnaire, Mini Mental Status Examination, Templer Death Anxiety, and aging adjustment questionnaires were filled out by the samples in 3 steps before the intervention, after the last day of the intervention, and 30 days after the end of the interventional sessions.

RESULTS

In the intervention group, the mean score of death anxiety and adjustment to old age before the intervention showed a statistically significant difference with the post-intervention stages (P < 0.05); however, in the control group, the mean scores of death anxiety and adjustment to old age in the 3 steps were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Also, no statistically significant difference was found between the intervention and control groups before the intervention (P > 0.05), but there was a statistically significant relationship in the steps immediately after the last day of the intervention and 30 days after the end of the interventional sessions (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The findings of the present study indicate that reminiscence therapy is able to effectively reduce the anxiety of death in the elderly; also, reminiscence therapy can be used to improve the adaptation ability of the elderly to old age.

Aging all over the place: a multidisciplinary framework that considers place and life trajectories of older adults within their communities

Purpose

This conceptual paper aims to describe aging all over the place (AAOP), a federative framework for action, research and policy that considers older adults’ diverse experiences of place and life trajectories, along with person-centered care.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework was developed through group discussions, followed by an appraisal of aging models and validation during workshops with experts, including older adults.

Findings

Every residential setting and location where older adults go should be considered a “place,” flexible and adaptable enough so that aging in place becomes aging all over the place. Health-care professionals, policymakers and researchers are encouraged to collaborate around four axes: biopsychosocial health and empowerment; welcoming, caring, mobilized and supportive community; spatiotemporal life and care trajectories; and out-of-home care and services. When consulted, a Seniors Committee showed appreciation for flexible person-centered care, recognition of life transitions and care trajectories and meaningfulness of the name.

Social implications

Population aging and the pandemic call for intersectoral actions and for stakeholders beyond health care to act as community leaders. AAOP provides opportunities to connect environmental determinants of health and person-centered care.

Originality/value

Building on the introduction of an ecological experience of aging, AAOP broadens the concept of care as well as the political and research agenda by greater integration of community and clinical actions. AAOP also endeavors to avoid patronizing older adults and to engage society in strengthening circles of benevolence surrounding older adults, regardless of their residential setting. AAOP’s applicability is evidenced by existing projects that share its approach.

Resilience Interventions Conducted in Western and Eastern Countries-A Systematic Review

Previous research has demonstrated the efficacy of psychological interventions to foster resilience. However, little is known about whether the cultural context in which resilience interventions are implemented affects their efficacy on mental health. Studies performed in Western (k = 175) and Eastern countries (k = 46) regarding different aspects of interventions (setting, mode of delivery, target population, underlying theoretical approach, duration, control group design) and their efficacy on resilience, anxiety, depressive symptoms, quality of life, perceived stress, and social support were compared. Interventions in Eastern countries were longer in duration and tended to be more often conducted in group settings with a focus on family caregivers. We found evidence for larger effect sizes of resilience interventions in Eastern countries for improving resilience (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28 to 0.67; p < 0.0001; 43 studies; 6248 participants; I2 = 97.4%). Intercultural differences should receive more attention in resilience intervention research. Future studies could directly compare interventions in different cultural contexts to explain possible underlying causes for differences in their efficacy on mental health outcomes.

Effects of a Reminiscence Program on Meaning of Life, Sense of Coherence and Coping in Older Women Living in Nursing Homes during COVID-19

Aging is a dynamic process that can bring well-being but also physical and cognitive decline. Older adults can draw on their personal resources to help them cope and thrive through the aging process. Having personal resources to cope and ensure older adults’ well-being is important. Psychological strengths such as a sense of coherence, resilience, and coping are protective against the adversity associated with health problems such as those stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study’s purpose was to investigate the usefulness of reminiscence therapy for older women living in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample composed of 29 older women was evaluated with the Purpose-in-Life Test (PIL), Sense of Coherence (SOC-13) and Brief Cope Inventory (COPE-28). Our reminiscence program consisted of 10 sessions lasting 60 min each. Reminiscence therapy is a psychological intervention for older adults to assist in remembering and interpreting the life events, feelings, and thoughts that define and give meaning to the person’s life. Reminiscence can lead to positive mental health and other elements of particular relevance to older adults. In each session, we worked on a different theme that promoted the memory of positive emotions: optimal experience, decisive moment, stresses, tensions, problems and solutions, memories of childhood, adolescence, maturity, significant people in life, sense of life, and future script. We compared an intervention group (n = 12) with a control group (n = 17) using a pre-post, single-blind design. Significant results were obtained and showed that reminiscence therapy was effective in increasing meaning of life, sense of coherence, and coping in older women. The reminiscence therapy applied yielded positive effects in older female participants living in a nursing home during COVID-19 pandemic.

Unmet need for mental health services in indolent lymphoma: age differences over one-year post-diagnosis

This study examined distress and mental health service use in patients with newly diagnosed indolent lymphoma over the first-year post-diagnosis, as well as differences by age. Patients with indolent lymphoma completed online self-report measure of distress and whether they accessed mental health services (Yes/No) every four months for a total of four surveys. The baseline sample consisted of 74 patients; 41.9% were age 65 years and older, 24.3% endorsed elevated distress, and 16.2% accessed mental health services. Across time, less than half (36.4-46.7%) of distressed patients accessed mental health services. In patients younger than 65 years, a greater proportion of distressed than non-distressed patients accessed mental health services. However, distress was not associated with mental health service use in older adults. Future research should evaluate issues driving distress and access to mental health care in patients with indolent lymphomas, including age-based approaches.

Fostering Well-Being in the Elderly: Translating Theories on Positive Aging to Practical Approaches

This article overviews positive aging concepts and strategies to enhance well-being in the elderly and then presents a translation of theories on positive aging to practical approaches for Positive Aging. Drawing upon positive psychology and positive aging research and tools, this program is designed to help older adults improve their well-being by acquiring skills and strategies to cope with present and future challenges. The Mental Fitness Program for Positive Aging (MFPPA) can enhance seniors' quality of life by increasing their vital involvement and active engagement in life. This model is most appropriate for community dwelling individuals. It can easily be conducted in wide range of adult education programs in community centers, sheltered homes, and primary care clinics. It can also be conducted through online psychoeducational training.

The effectiveness of reminiscence-based intervention on improving psychological well-being in cognitively intact older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Aging is one of the most important public health issues. The World Health Organization (WHO) expects the number of older adults aged 65 and above to triple from 2010 to 2050. A major challenge would be to consider how functional ability and quality of life could be enhanced in older age. Reminiscence-based interventions are widely reported as having positive effects on psychological outcomes among older adults with dementia, but its effects on cognitively intact older adults have not been clearly evaluated.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the current systematic review is to evaluate the existing evidence on the effects of reminiscence-based intervention on psychological outcomes in cognitively intact older adults.

REVIEW METHODS

Commonly used English databases, including CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO, were searched from inception till 31 Mar 2020. Studies were included if they examined the effects of reminiscence-based intervention on psychological outcomes among cognitively intact older adults aged 60 and above. Meta-analysis was conducted to synthesise the effects on different psychological outcomes.

RESULTS

Thirty-one studies involving 1,829 older adults were included. The pooled standardized mean difference for depressive symptoms and life satisfaction were -0.38 (95% CI: -0.69--0.07) and 0.33 (95% CI: 0.14-0.52) respectively. Positive effects were observed on self-esteem, psychological well-being and happiness, though meta-analysis could not be conducted.

CONCLUSION

Significant reduction of depressive symptoms and improvement of life satisfaction were revealed from the reminiscence-based intervention among cognitively intact older adults. In addition, reminiscence-based intervention has been effective in enhancing self-esteem, and promoting psychological well-being and happiness. Our results suggest that reminiscence-based intervention could be an effective solution to improve psychological well-being among cognitively intact older adults. Such non-pharmacological approach can be recommended for older adults at the community level.

The Impact of Reminiscence on Autobiographical Memory, Cognition and Psychological Well-Being in Healthy Older Adults

Reminiscence therapy has improved autobiographical memory in older adults with memory impairment. However, there has been a relative lack of research examining the impact of reminiscence interventions on healthy older adults, despite the fact that healthy ageing has been associated with a reduction in episodic autobiographical memory. The current study examined the effects of a semi-structured reminiscence program, compared to a no-intervention control and an active control group focused on current life, in healthy older adults. Before and after reminiscence or control, we assessed episodic and semantic autobiographical memory, as well as reliving of the memory and re-experiencing the emotion associated with the memory. We also examined new learning and executive function, as well as quality of life, satisfaction with life, anxiety, depression, and mood. The reminiscence intervention did not lead to a differing impact on autobiographical memory, cognition or psychological well-being, compared to the control groups. The current results indicate that simple reminiscence does not lead to enhanced autobiographical memory performance in healthy older adults.

Group reminiscence for hope and resilience in care-seekers who have attempted suicide

BACKGROUND

The rate of attempting suicide is growing due to the increasing social and economic problems and a variety of stresses taken by individuals in their lives. Helping people, boosting hope, and improving resilience to life hardships might be helpful in this area. This paper is an attempt to determine the effects of group reminiscence on hope and resilience in care-seekers who have attempted suicide.

METHOD

The study was carried out as a quasi-experimental interventional study. The participants were 57 care-seekers with a history of attempting suicide who met the inclusion criteria. The sampling was done through convenience sampling and the participants were grouped into control (n = 29) and experimental (n = 28) groups randomly. The experimental group received integrated reminiscence sessions (eight sessions; 60-90 min). Hope and resilience of the subjects were measured using Schneider's Hope Scale and Connor and Davidson's Resilience Scale. The scales were filled out by the subjects before, immediately after, and 4 weeks after the intervention.

RESULTS

The mean scores of hope in the experimental and control groups were 34.60 and 38.04, respectively, before the intervention. These figures immediately after the intervention were 44.07 and 35.96 in the experimental and control groups, respectively. 4 weeks after the intervention, the mean scores of hope in the experimental and control groups were 44.39 and 35.79, respectively, which is a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). In terms of resilience, the mean scores in the experimental and control groups before the intervention were 48.17 and 57.51, respectively; and immediately after the intervention, these figures were 67.71 and 52.75, respectively. 4 weeks of the intervention, the mean scores of resilience were 59.17 and 52.24, respectively, which is a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Group reminiscence has a positive effect on boosting hope and resilience in care-seekers who have attempted suicide.

Effectiveness of instrumental reminiscence intervention on improving coping in healthy older adults

Reminiscence is a psychological intervention that uses the recall of past events, feelings, and thoughts to facilitate pleasure, quality of life, and adjustment to present life. The main goal of this study was to investigate the effect of a reminiscence intervention programme on coping strategies. One hundred fifty healthy older adults attended the reminiscence sessions. In order to evaluate the effects of the programme and find out if its effects lasted over time, we used an experimental design with pretest, posttest, and follow-up assessments, comparing a control group to the intervention group. Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant differences in problem-solving coping, positive reappraisal, social support seeking, and avoidance coping with the treatment group obtaining higher scores than the control group in all cases. The effects declined after 3 months, but some differences were found in the treatment group obtaining higher scores in problem-solving coping and positive reappraisal and lower in overt emotional expression. The study suggests that reminiscence therapy contributes to mental health by enhancing coping strategies that can allow the elderly to cope successfully and overcome psychological distress.

Pilot Testing of the NURSE Stress Management Intervention

Student nurses experience significant stress during their education, which may contribute to illness and alterations in health, poor academic performance, and program attrition. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and potential efficacy of an innovative stress management program in two baccalaureate nursing programs in Connecticut, named NURSE (Nurture nurse, Use resources, foster Resilience, Stress and Environment management), that assists nursing students to develop stress management plans. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention with 40 junior nursing students. Results from this study provide evidence that the NURSE intervention is highly feasible, and support further testing to examine the effect of the intervention in improving stress management in nursing students.