Cross-cultural effects of reminiscence therapy on life satisfaction and autobiographical memory of older adults: a pilot study across Mexico and Spain.

BACKGROUND: There are increasing reports on the cognitive and emotional benefits of positive reminiscence therapy in older people. The objective of this study is to assess the differential improvement of the quality of life for older people in different vital situations (three different types of aging) and from different countries by implementing a positive reminiscence therapy program (REMPOS). METHODS: The participants were 144 older adults above the age of 65, 77 participants from Spain (45 experimental groups, 32 control groups) and 67 from Mexico (34 experimental groups, 33 control groups). The participants were recruited from nursing and retirement homes. A factorial randomized design with pre-post measurement with three independent variables: country (Mexico, Spain), condition (experimental, control), and types of aging (healthy aging, HA., mild cognitive impairment, MCI., Alzheimer's disease, AD). The experimental groups received REMPOS therapy and control groups received standard cognitive stimulation program. The quality of life was measured with the Life Satisfaction Inventory for adults (LSI-A) and autobiographical memory test (AMT) before and after REMPOS therapy. RESULTS: The REMPOS intervention showed significantly higher positive effects than the control condition on the recall of specific positive memories across countries and types of aging, except for the Spanish MCI group. Life satisfaction in the Alzheimer's and MCI group only improved with REMPOS in the Mexican sample. CONCLUSIONS: The REMPOS effects showed generalizable effects across countries, but the cross-cultural differences shown highlight the necessity of running studies to test those differential effects.

Transcultural Pilot Study of the Efficacy of Reminiscence Therapy for Mexican and Spanish Older Adults with Different Levels of Cognitive Decline.

The main objective for this study is to analyze the impact of a positive reminiscence therapy program (REMPOS) in cognitive functioning and depressive symptomatology for older adults in different vital situations (healthy aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease).This is a transcultural comparative study (older people from Spain and Mexico). A randomized design with pre-posttest measurement and twelve groups was formulated, during a period of six months of intervention (3 in Mexico and 3 in Spain). The design had: 6 experimental groups with REMPOS intervention (3 in Mexico and 3 in Spain) during a period of six months and 6 control groups that received cognitive stimulation.While a key aspect of this study is the cross-cultural differences, an important part is to determine whether each experimental group had similar results in terms of the change in magnitude between the pre and post analysis. In general, intervention significantly improved cognitive function and decreased depressive symptoms.These findings provide further evidence about the efficacy of the REMPOS therapy between different types of aging and both geographical and cultural contexts (Spain and Mexico).

Tele neuropsychological exploratory assessment of indicators of mild cognitive impairment and autonomy level in Mexican population over 60 years old.

Due to the cognitive decline associated with aging, it is necessary to determine the variables involved in this process to implement preventive actions to avoid or help slow the progression of cognitive decline to dementia in older adults. This is a priority in the current pandemic situation, due to the consequences of periods of confinement due to COVID-19. To address these challenges, this study was conducted through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), by adapting an in-person assessment protocol into an online Tele neuropsychological consultation. The correlation between autonomy and cognitive performance variables is analyzed in 47 Mexican subjects over 60 years of age. The results of the statistical analyses suggest a moderate correlation between the level of autonomy and cognitive performance (with MOCA and Clock Drawing Test), significant correlation values are outlined in some of the variables reviewed, and interesting data were found in the correlation of cognitive reserve with cognitive decline and the educational level from the participants. Finally, future analysis is proposed of the sensitivity of screening tests (CDT) to find indicators of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in this population that is not detected in classical tests (MOCA). Developing ICT-based screening protocols for the elderly may be a key tool in these coronavirus times or under any given circumstances.

Mejora de la calidad de vida de personas mayores con intervención en reminiscencia positiva: un estudio piloto / Improving the quality of life of older people with positive reminiscence intervention: a pilot study

En adultos mayores existe mayor prevalencia de deterioro o declive cognitivo y afectivo que la población más joven, por lo que, considerando la creciente población de adultos mayores, se precisa contar con mejores intervenciones que prevengan estas manifestaciones. En el presente estudio se planteó probar la eficacia del “Programa de reminiscencia positiva” (REMPOS), intervención no farmacológica, para el aumento de la calidad de vida de personas mayores en tres situaciones de envejecimiento. Se utilizó un diseño aleatorizado con medida pre-pos con grupo control en tres tipos de envejecimiento: saludable (n= 24), deterioro cognitivo leve (n= 22) y enfermedad de Alzheimer (n= 21). Los resultados mostraron que los grupos experimentales obtuvieron mejoras cognitivas, disminución de sintomatología depresiva, mayor evocación de recuerdos específicos positivos, y mayor satisfacción vital después de la intervención. Este trabajo amplía la evidencia de la eficacia de intervenciones sobre reminiscencia positiva a personas mayores en otros escenarios culturales y en diferentes realidades del proceso de envejecer. (AU)

Older age is associated with a higher prevalence of cognitive and affective decline than in the younger population. For this reason, considering the increasing population aging, and with the continuous growth of this demographic, it is necessary to consider better types of interventions to prevent such decline from manifesting. This study measures the effectiveness of the “Positive reminiscence program” (REMPOS), a non-pharmacological therapy that increases life quality in older people, with a pre-post randomized design with control group in three types of aging: healthy aging (n= 24), mild cognitive impairment (n= 22) and Alzheimer’s Disease (n= 21). The results of the experimental groups revealed higher cognitive levels, lower depressive symptoms, higher specific positive memories recall, and higher life satisfaction after intervention. This study extends the evidence of effectiveness of positive reminiscence interventions for older adults in other cultural backgrounds and types of aging. (AU)

Mediation effects of cognitive, physical, and motivational reserves on cognitive performance in older people.

Introduction: We study from a multidimensional perspective the different factors that help prevent the development of cognitive impairment in old aging. Methods: This study analyzed in 300 elderly subjects the relationship between cognitive reserve (CR), physical reserve (PR) and motivational reserve (MR) with cognitive impairment. This study also takes into consideration different variables (sex, age, educational level, and institutionalization) that might affect the results in the different types of reserves (CR, physical and MR) and cognitive impairment. Results: The results show that people with a higher cognitive reserve, physical reserve and motivational reserve have less cognitive impairment. Discussion: Therefore, it is important to consider measuring the CR as a variable to diagnose neurodegenerative illnesses but it is also essential to consider the physical state and physical activity, as well as the motivational dimension. With the cognitive reserve and sex variables no significant differences were observed. Age had a negative effect on strategic flexibility, but those with higher CR had better cognitive flexibility and the educational.

Improvement of the Quality of Life in Aging by Stimulating Autobiographical Memory.

With notable increases in older adult populations, as well as with the associated cognitive impairments that can accompany aging, there is significant importance in identifying strategies to promote cognitive health. The current study explored the implementation of a positive reminiscence program (REMPOS), a non-pharmacological cognitive therapy that has been previously structured, defined, and tested in a Spanish sample. We sought to improve the quality of life of institutionalized older adults with healthy aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease by utilizing this protocol in these samples. A randomized design with a pre-post measure was conducted over a three-month period. Two types of interventions were used: the experimental groups received REMPOS, and the control groups underwent their regular daily institutional programming with cognitive stimulation techniques. After the intervention, the three experimental groups showed higher cognitive functioning, decreased depressive symptomatology (except for the MCI group) and higher evocation of specific positive memories (except for the MCI group). This study supports the effectiveness of REMPOS and reminiscence therapy, with regard to both cognitive and mood factors in cognitively impaired older adults.

Mitos sobre la Agresión Sexual: Validación de una Escala en Universitarios en México / Myths about Sexual Aggression: Validation of a Scale in University Students in Mexico

Resumen La agresión sexual es un problema psicosocial muy poco reconocido debido a los mitos a su alrededor, graduados y media-tizados por la cultura del grupo social (Caballero, 2006). En el presente estudio se asume la agresión sexual como la base para todo tipo de violencia de tipo sexual. Se realizaron dos estudios, el primero valida la escala AMMSA, en versión mexicana, originalmente desarrollada en Alemania (Gerger, Kley, Bohner, & Siebler, 2007); el segundo, determina el grado de aceptación de los mitos de agresión sexual en estudiantes universitarios del Norte de México. La muestra no probabilística fue de 128 y 400 estudiantes para cada estudio, respectivamente. Los resultados del primer estudio indican una consistencia interna de la versión mexicana del AMMSA (α = .93), concordantes con los resultados de la prueba original (α entre .90 y .95); y la externa, presenta una correlación positiva alta y significativa con la versión mexicana del Inventario de Sexismo Ambivalente (r = .68, p < .001), demostrando propiedades psicométricas adecuadas. Se encontró mayor aceptación de los mitos de agresión sexual entre los hombres en comparación a las mujeres, y el menor grado de aceptación de estos en la Facultad de Medicina y Psicología.

Abstract Sexual aggression is a psychosocial and public health problem rarely recognized socially as such, due to the myths around it, graded and mediated by culture of social group in which the phenomenon occurs (Caballero, 2006). In the state of Baja California, Art. 180 of the criminal code defines sexual abuse as the act "that without the consent of a person executes in it or makes it execute a sexual, without the purpose of reaching copulation" (p. 48). In the present study we assume, like the authors of the AMMSA, originally developed in Germany (Gerger, et al., 2007) that sexual aggression is the basis for all types of sexual violence. Two studies were carried out, the first with the purpose of validating the AMMSA scale in the Mexican version; and the second, to determine the degree of acceptance of the sexual aggression myths in students of a public university in Northern Mexico. A sample of 128 students was obtained for the first study and 400 students for the second, a non-probabilistic method was used. The results of the first study indicate an internal consistency of the Mexican version of AMMSA (α = .93), which agrees with the results of the original test (α between .90 and .95); and external presents a high and significant positive correlation with the Mexican version of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (r = .68, p <.001). It is demonstrated that the psychometric properties of AMMSA were adequate during its application in university students of the northwest of Mexico, obtaining a high degree of reliability and validity. It is important to note the fact that men tend to accept the myths of sexual assault. This coincides with the popular belief that, within the role of men, one must be tough, aggressive and dominant in their interpersonal relationships (Herman, 1988, Hirigoyen, 2006). This is shown when reviewing that men are, by a wide margin, the biggest aggressors when it comes to issues of sexual violence. When comparing the degree of acceptance among the Faculties under study, the lowest average was observed in the Faculty of Medicine and Psychology.