Efficacy of resilience-related psychological interventions in patients with long-term diseases: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Patients with long-term disease experience low resilience, emphasising the importance of psychological interventions to improve resilience. However, there is no comprehensive evidence on the efficacy of resilience-related psychological interventions (RRPIs) in this population. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate and extend knowledge from previous meta-analyses on the efficacy of RRPIs on resilience, stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life among patients with long-term disease. Cochrane Library, Embase, Ovid-MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL electronic databases were searched until 3 February 2023. The pooled effect size of the efficacy of RRPIs was calculated using the Hedges' g (g) with random-effects model, while Cochrane Q-statistics and I2 tests assessed heterogeneity in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 3.0 software. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool evaluated the quality of studies. Moderator analysis was used to explore sources of heterogeneity. Twenty randomised controlled trial studies were identified, representing a total of 1388 individuals with long-term disease. RRPIs significantly enhance resilience (g = 0.79), alleviate stress (g = -0.78), decrease anxiety (g = -1.14), mitigate depression (g = -0.96) and improve quality of life (g = 0.48). Positive psychology, mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment-based intervention exhibited medium effects in strengthening resilience. Short-term effects of RRPIs on enhancing resilience were observed at 3-month follow-up period (g = 0.50). The incorporation of RRPIs into the management of patients with long-term disease shows a positive impact on their resilience, stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life. The results offer an evidence-based foundation for nurses in promoting resilience among patients with long-term disease.

The effect of cognitive training on domains of attention in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Background: Attention is essential to daily life and cognitive functioning, and attention deficits can affect daily functional and social behaviour, such as falls, risky driving, and accidental injuries. However, attention function is important yet easily overlooked in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, and evidence is limited. We aimed to explore the pooled effect of cognitive training on domains of attention in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia using a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) up to 3 November 2022. We included participants aged ≥50 years diagnosed with cognitive impairment, with various cognitive training interventions as the intervention measures. The primary outcome was overall attention and the secondary outcomes were attention in different domains and global cognitive function. We calculated the Hedges' g and confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model to evaluate the effect size of the outcome measures and evaluated heterogeneity using the χ2 test and I2 value. Results: We included 17 RCTs and found that cognitive training interventions improve overall attention (Hedges' g = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.13, 0.70), selective attention (Hedges' g = 0.37; 95% CI = 0.19, 0.55), divided attention (Hedges' g = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.72), and global cognitive function (Hedges' g = 0.30; 95% CI = 0.02, 0.58) in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, but with relatively low effectiveness. Conclusions: Cognitive training intervention can improve some attention functions in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Attention function training should also be incorporated into routine activities and long-term sustainability planning to delay the deterioration of attention function in older adults. Besides reducing their risk of abnormal events in daily life (such as falls), it can also improve their quality of life and help reduce the progression of cognitive impairment, achieving early detection of secondary prevention. Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42022385211).

Efficacy of multi-domain cognitive function training on cognitive function, working memory, attention, and coordination in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: A one-year prospective randomised controlled trial.

Background: Cognitive function, working memory, attention, and coordination are higher-level functions sharing a complex relationship. Limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of multi-domain cognitive function interventions to improve cognitive outcomes. We evaluated the effectiveness of such interventions on cognitive function, working memory, attention, and coordination in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia. Methods: We conducted a double-blind, two-arm, parallel-group randomised controlled trial in community care centres of Northern Taiwan. We recruited 72 participants aged≥65 years and randomly allocated them using 1:1 block randomization (block size = 4) into experimental (multi-domain cognitive function training) (MCFT) and control groups (passive information activities) (PIA) (n = 36/group). We administered the interventions in both groups for 30 minutes per session, three sessions per week for eight weeks, for a total of 24 sessions. The outcome indicators were cognitive function assessed (mini-mental status examination), working memory (digit span), selective attention (Stroop test), visual-spatial attention (trail making test-A (TMT-A)), divided attention (trail making test-B (TMT-B)), and coordination (Berry visual-motor integration (Berry-VMI)). We evaluated the study outcomes at baseline, immediate post-test, one-month follow-up, and one-year follow-up. Results: We found no significant differences between the groups at baseline except for education. The average age of participants was 82.3 years, and most (76.4%) were female. We analysed the results by generalised estimating equations (GEE) based on the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle. The multi-domain cognitive function training was effective in improving cognitive function (ß = 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.63-2.31; P = 0.001), working memory (ß = -1.45; 95% CI = -2.62, -0.27; P = 0.016), and selective attention (ß = -23.3; 95% = CI -43.9, -2.76; P = 0.026) compared to passive information activities at 1-month follow-up. The effects of multi-domain cognitive function training on cognitive function (ß = 1.51; 95% CI = 0.40-2.63; P = 0.008), working memory (ß = -1.93; 95% CI -3.33, -0.54; P = 0.007), selective attention (ß = -27.8; 95% CI = -47.1, -8.48; P = 0.005), and coordination (ß = 1.61; 95% CI = 0.25, 2.96; P = 0.020) were maintained for one year. There were no significant improvements in attention outcomes (visual-spatial and divided attention) after training. Conclusions: MCFT intervention demonstrated favourable effects in improving global cognitive function, working memory, selective attention, and coordination among older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia. Thus, applying multi-domain cognitive training in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia could help to delay the cognitive decline. Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2000039306).