Life review therapy using autobiographical retrieval practice for older adults with depressive symptomatology

Contact Information

Keywords

Juan Pedro Serrano juanpedro.serrano@uclm.es

N/A

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of life review based on autobiographical retrieval practice for treating depressed older adults. Forty-three adults aged 65-93 with clinically significant depressive symptomatology and no dementia were randomly assigned to treatment or to no treatment. The results indicated significant differences between experimental and control groups after 4 weeks of autobiographical retrieval practice. At posttest, those in the treatment condition showed fewer depressive symptoms, less hopelessness, improved life satisfaction, and retrieval of more specific events. The findings suggest that practice in autobiographical memory for specific events may be among the components of life review that account for its effectiveness and could be a useful tool in psychotherapy with older adults.

Citation

Serrano, J. P., Latorre, J. M., Gatz, M., & Montanes, J. (2004). Life review therapy using autobiographical retrieval practice for older adults with depressive symptomatology. Psychology and aging, 19(2), 270–277. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.19.2.270

DOI

10.1037/0882-7974.19.2.270

EWB Constructs:

(1) goal pursuit; (2) life satisfaction; (3) positive affect; (4) quality of life; (5) sense of meaning

EWB Measures:

Life Satisfaction Index

data availability:

data availability details:

N/A

brain imaging paradigm:

N/A

brain region/circuit:

Exclusion Criteria:

People who scored below 28 on the Mini Exa´men Cognoscitivo were excluded.

Inclusion Criteria

Individuals had to have clinically significant symptoms of depression (as determined by a score of 16 or higher on the Center for Epidemiological Studies—Depression [CES–D; Radloff, 1977] scale); had to show no evidence of dementia (as determined by a score of 28 or higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination [Mini Exa´men Cognoscitivo, MEC; Lobo, Ezquerra, Go´mez Burgada, Sala, & Seva-D´ıaz, 1979]); and could not be receiving pharmacological treatment for depression.

Non-EWB Behavioral
Measures:

Center for Epidemiological Studies—Depression
The Beck hopelessness instrument

First author:

Juan Pedro Serrano

species:

Human

sample size:

study design:

(5) RCT

longitudinal data?

Yes

younger controls?

interventions:

Life review therapy

study population:

(3) patients with other mental health disorders than dementia

sex (% female):

Intervention: 82.6%
Control: 70.0%

ethnicity (%white)

not stated (Spain)

Age (mean, sd):

Intervention: 75.8, 8.1
Control: 78.4, 7.3

biological/Physiological Measures:

N/A