The Effect of Integrative Reminiscence in Older Adults with Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of integrative reminiscence interventions in mitigating depressive symptoms among older adults.

A comprehensive literature search was conducted across four electronic databases: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus. The risk of bias in randomized control and quasi-experimental studies was critically evaluated by the Cochrane ROB 2 tool and the Cochrane ROBINS-I tool, respectively.

The meta-analysis showed a large and statistically significant effect of integrative reminiscence in reducing depression from post-baseline to baseline (Cohen's d = 0.9608; p < .0001). The effects at 3-month follow-up or longer showed a similarly large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.3159; p < .0001), indicating the effect of integrative reminiscence could be sustained over time for older adults with depressive symptoms.

This review provides robust empirical evidence supporting the use of integrative reminiscence to reduce depressive symptoms in older adults.

The current review supports the incorporation of integrative reminiscence into the practice of nursing and other healthcare providers in community, geriatric, and long-term care facilities. It provides guidance for developing standardized protocols for integrative reminiscence and training programs to promote consistency and reproducibility and measure the long-term effects of the intervention.