EFFECTS OF GROUP REMINISCENCE FOCUSING ON SEQUENTIAL LIFE REVIEW ON COGNITIVE AGING

Reminiscence is considered an evidence-based intervention for secondary aging. Our previous study examining effects of group reminiscence focusing on life review on cognitive aging with standardized scales found that regular participation in group life review improved performances on tests for memory and cognition. Simultaneously, content analyses of transcripts of life narratives reproduced in each group session found that frequently remembered life events were likely to entail vivid descriptions and integrative interpretations. These results implied that group reminiscence focusing on reviewing individual life with vivid memory and integrative interpretations might have promoted the improvements observed in memory and cognitive tests. To test this hypothesis, the current study compared the effects on cognitive aging of group reminiscence focusing on life review versus with group reminiscence without a focus on life review. The life-review group reviewed sequential topics from infancy to late adulthood including current life with instructions to draw vivid memories and integrative interpretations whereas the control group reviewed independent topics without any instructions to focus on sequential life review. Community-residing adults between 63 and 92 years of age were randomly assigned to one of the two reminiscence groups and participated in a series of bi-weekly intensive group sessions over a 10-week period. All participants completed pre- and post-tests including WMS-R, MMSE, and CES-D. The life review group improved their performance on the memory tests after intervention but the control group did not. There were no significant differences in CES-D, however.