Effectiveness of a mindfulness intervention for older adults to improve emotional well-being and cognitive function in a Chinese population: A randomized waitlist-controlled trial

The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Mental Health and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES

To assess whether mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) affect mental health and cognitive abilities in older adults.

METHODS

A systematic search was performed in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to June 2023. Weight mean difference and 95% confidence intervals were provided as summary statistics.

RESULTS

In total, 26 articles were eligible. Overall, MBIs showed a statistically significant improvement in depression, anxiety, quality of life, and working memory compared to controls. However, no significant effects of MBIs on other cognitive parameters were found. In moderator analysis, less than eight weeks of MBIs showed greater improvement in anxiety and quality of life than longer periods. There was no evidence for publication bias.

DISCUSSION

Mindfulness-based interventions can be an encouraging alternative in place of conventional treatments in improving depression, anxiety, quality of life and working memory in cognition among older adults. However, findings strongly recommend future research to have definite conclusion.

Cognitive, psychological, and physiological effects of a web-based mindfulness intervention in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: an open study

BACKGROUND

The development of effective strategies to maintain good mental health of older adults is a public health priority. Mindfulness-based interventions have the potential to improve psychological well-being and cognitive functions of older adults, but little is known about the effect of such interventions when delivered through internet. During the COVID-19 pandemic we evaluated short- and long-term cognitive, psychological, and physiological effects of a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) delivered via web-based videoconference in healthy older adults.

METHODS

Fifty older adults participated in an 8-week MBI, which comprised structured 2-h weekly group sessions. A comprehensive evaluation encompassing cognitive (verbal memory, attention and processing speed, executive functions) and psychological assessments (depression and anxiety symptoms, mindfulness, worries, emotion regulation strategies, well-being, interoceptive awareness and sleep) was conducted. Additionally, electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded before and after the MBI and at the 6-month follow-up (T6). Data were analyzed using an intention-to-treat approach, using linear mixed models adjusted for age. The effect size for time was computed as omega squared.

RESULTS

We observed significant improvements from pre-MBI to post-MBI and at the T6 across several measures. These improvements were notable in the areas of verbal memory (California Verbal Learning Test, p ≤ .007), attention and executive functions (Trail Making Test A and BA, p < .050), interoceptive awareness (Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, p = .0002 for self-regulation and p < .05 for noticing, body listening, and trusting dimensions), and rumination (Heidelberg Form for Emotion Regulation Strategies, p = .018). These changes were associated with low to medium effect size. Moreover, we observed significant changes in EEG patterns, with a decrease in alpha1 (p = .004) and an increase in alpha2 (p < .0001) from pre-MBI to T6. Notably, improvements in TMTBA and rumination were correlated with the decrease in alpha1 (p < .050), while improvements in TMTA were linked to the increase in alpha2 (p = .025).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our study show that a web-based MBI in older adults leads to improvements in cognitive and psychological measures, with associated modulations in specific brain rhythms. While these findings are promising, further controlled studies are required to validate these preliminary results.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial has been registered with the United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health Registry of Clinical Trials under the code NCT05941143 on July 12, 2023.

Mindfulness and loneliness in retired older adults in China: mediation effects of positive and negative affect

Objectives: Drawing from the mindfulness framework and the broaden-and-build theory, this study investigates the extent to which mindfulness influences loneliness and whether the relation is mediated by positive and negative affect.Method: Data were collected from 748 retired older adults aged 60 and above in Chengdu, China in 2022. Loneliness and mindfulness were measured by the UCLA loneliness scale and by the short-form version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, while the positive and negative affect was assessed by the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule.Results: The results of this study show that mindfulness was positively associated with positive affect (β = 0.37, p<.001), negatively related to negative affect (β=-0.21, p<.001) and loneliness (β=-0.13, p<.001), and had an indirect effect on loneliness via positive and negative affect (β=-0.20, p<.001).Conclusion: The findings suggest that mindfulness could be a positive resource for improving mental health and reducing loneliness among retired older adults in China.

Effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on older adults with sleep disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to analyze the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based program on sleep quality in healthy non-institutionalized older people.

Methods

This study was conducted following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items For Systematic Reviews And Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The search was conducted during May and June 2023 using four databases: Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL. Different keywords combined with Boolean operators were used. Only 10 articles of the initial 177 were included. In the study, the standardized mean difference (SMD) was used along with a 95% confidence interval to measure the effect. Heterogeneity among the studies, assessed using Cochran's Q-test and the I2 statistic was found to be low, leading to the use of a fixed-effects model in the analysis. The effect size was expressed as Hedge'g. Furthermore, a subgroup analysis was conducted, taking into account the various tools used to assess sleep conditions.

Results

Mindfulness was found to reduce poor sleep quality in people with both long-term and short-term sleep disorders. Weighting effect model Hedge'g = -0.344 with a 95% confidence interval ranging from -0.425 to -0.263. In all cases, statistically significant results were observed, as well as moderate and negative effect sizes according to the Hedge's g index: -0.326 for Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), -0.343 for Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and -0.28 for Sleep Onset Latency (SOL).

Conclusion

This systematic review and meta-analysis found that mindfulness can be used to remedy poor sleep quality in older people, so it could be a viable treatment option for insomnia or other problems related to poor sleep quality in this population.

Effects of mind-body exercise on cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A meta-analysis study

BACKGROUND

To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of physical and mental exercise on cognitive performance in middle-aged people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

METHODS

Computer searches of PubMed, Web of science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China Biomedical Literature Service, Wanfang database, China Knowledge Network, and VIP full-text database of Veep journals were conducted to obtain clinical randomized controlled trials on physical and mental exercise interventions in middle-aged and elderly people with MCI. The literature was screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the final included literature was subjected to data extraction and risk of bias assessment. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4.1 software, and publication bias test was performed using stata17.0 software.

RESULTS

A total of 27 publications with a total of 2565 cases of elderly people with MCI were included. The control group was conventional care, health education, or blank control, and the physical and mental exercise group was exercises including Tai Chi, dance, orthopraxia, and qigong for 30 to 90 minutes each time, 3 to 6 times per week, for a total duration of 8 to 36 weeks. Meta-analysis results showed that Montreal cognitive assessment scores (mean difference [MD] = 2.33, 95% CI [1.55, 3.10], P < .00001), the mini-mental state examination score (MD = 1.73, 95% CI [0.60, 2.86], P = .003), trail making test-A score (MD = -4.00, 95% CI [-6.75, -1.25], P = .004), trail making test-B score (MD = -18.46, 95% CI [-23.87, -13.06], P < .00001), global deterioration scale score (MD = -0.72, 95% CI [-1.09, -0.34], P = .0002), Wechsler Logical Memory Scale score (MD = 2.07, 95% CI [0.03, 4.10], P = .05), berg score (MD = -0.70, 95% CI [0.32, 1.07], P < .0003), cerebrospinal fluid Tau protein level (MD = -166.69, 95% CI [-196.93, -136.45], P < .00001), and cerebrospinal fluid levels of αβ1-42 protein (MD = 180.39, 95% CI [134.24, 226.55], P < .00001).

CONCLUSION

Mind-body exercise can improve cognitive performance, depressive status, and balance as well as increase αβ1-42 protein levels and decrease Tau protein levels in middle-aged and older adults with mild cognitive impairment.