Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
SweetTree Home Care Services, London, UK.
Aging Ment Health. 2021 Jun;25(6):999-1007. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2020.1747048. Epub 2020 Apr 7.
This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a 14-session programme of individual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (iCST) for people with dementia (PWD). It addressed potential limitations in previous literature of iCST and evaluated possible impact on cognition, quality of life (QoL) and positive psychology.
The 14-session iCST programme was developed using existing manuals for group and individual CST and consultation with experts in the field. Thirty-three PWD were recruited from care homes and randomly assigned to iCST (14, 45-min sessions) or treatment as usual (TAU) over seven weeks. Outcomes measures were assessed at baseline and follow-up after the intervention.
The intervention appeared feasible with high attendance to sessions, minimal levels of attrition, and ease of recruitment. Analysis of covariance indicated significant improvements in cognition (Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale) for PWD receiving iCST compared to TAU. There were no significant differences between groups on follow-up scores on the standardised Mini Mental State Examination, measures of positive psychology or self- and proxy- reported QoL.
A 14-session programme of iCST delivered by professionals was feasible and acceptable to PWD and may provide benefits to cognition. A larger randomised control trial would be necessary to fully evaluate intervention impact on cognition, as well as QoL and positive psychology.
本研究旨在评估个体认知刺激疗法（iCST）治疗痴呆症患者（PWD）的 14 个疗程方案的可行性。它解决了 iCST 之前文献中的潜在局限性，并评估了其对认知、生活质量（QoL）和积极心理学的可能影响。
该 14 个疗程的 iCST 方案是使用现有的团体和个体 CST 手册以及与该领域专家协商制定的。从养老院招募了 33 名 PWD，并随机分配到 iCST（14 个，45 分钟/次）或常规治疗（TAU）组，共七周。在干预前后评估了结局测量指标。
该干预措施具有较高的出勤率、最小的失访率和易于招募的特点，因此具有可行性。协方差分析表明，接受 iCST 的 PWD 的认知（阿尔茨海默病评估量表认知子量表）有显著改善，而接受 TAU 的 PWD 则没有。在随访时，接受 iCST 和 TAU 的患者在标准化 Mini-Mental State Examination 评分、积极心理学测量或自我和代理报告的 QoL 方面没有显著差异。
由专业人员提供的 14 个疗程的 iCST 是可行的，且可被 PWD 接受，可能对认知有益。需要进行更大规模的随机对照试验，以充分评估干预对认知、QoL 和积极心理学的影响。
