Life Story Book With Mentally Alert Residents of Nursing Homes

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The objective of this study is to study the effects of the Life Story Book intervention on depressive symptoms and meaning in life for mentally alert residents of nursing homes.

Detailed Description
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Two nursing homes were recruited to participate. One nursing home will receive the Life Story Book intervention while the other half receives Usual Care intervention. The interventions were then switched, and the participants who received Usual Care intervention received the Life Story Book intervention while the home that received Life Story Book intervention received Usual Care intervention. The study consisted of two treatment periods of 3 weeks separated by a washout period of 1 week. Life Story Book provides a person with the opportunity to chronologically share their life experiences and memories. This three-1 hour reminiscence intervention is designed to provide a person with the opportunity to review their past and capture their life story into something tangible. The Life Story Book includes a combination of written information, photographs of significant people, places or events, and personal narratives from the stages of life that the person would like to include.

Official Title
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The Effectiveness of Life Story Book on Depression and Meaning in Life for Mentally Alert Residents of Nursing Homes

Conditions
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Depressive Symptoms, Quality of Life

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Life Story Book
* Behavioral: Usual Care


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Ability to speak English A resident of the nursing home A score of 4 or higher on the Six-Item Screener Exclusion Criteria: A score of 4 or higher on the Six-item Screener

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 57 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Interventional Model Description: A switching replication design was employed to examine the effects of the Life Story Book (LSB). Two comparable nursing homes were allocated to each intervention. Participants in each nursing home received the same intervention at the same time.
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Life Story Book Intervention First, Then Usual Care<br>Participants first received the Life Story Book Intervention once a week for 3 weeks. After a washout period of 1 week, they then received the Usual Care Intervention for 3 weeks. Posttests were then conducted for 1 week. | Behavioral: Life Story Book<br>* Life story Book is intended to allow a person the opportunity to reminisce chronologically through their life and capture their life stories into a book.<br>|
| Experimental: Usual Care First, Then Life Story Book Intervention<br>Participants first received the Usual Care Intervention for 3 weeks. After a washout period of 1 week, they then received the Life Story Book Intervention once a week for 3 weeks. Posttests were then conducted for 1 week. | Behavioral: Usual Care<br>* Three weeks of Usual Care with no visits from research team<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change From Baseline in Mean Scores for Geriatric Depression Scale at 3 Weeks | The Geriatric Depression Scale (Residential) (GDS-12R) is a validated, self-reported instrument assessing depression over the past 7 days. It is a yes/no format. Possible scores range from 0 (no depressive symptoms) to 10 (depression). A score of 0 to 4 is normal; scores ≥ 4 are significant for depressive symptoms; scores ≥ 08 is almost always indicative of depression. A score ≥ 5 points should warrant a follow-up comprehensive assessment. | Baseline and 3 weeks | 
| Change From Baseline in Mean Scores for Meaning in Life Questionnaire Sub-Scale Presence of Meaning (POM) at 3 Weeks. | Meaning in Life was measured using the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), created by Steger et al. The MLQ has two sub-scales which assess the presence of meaning (POM) (how much a person feels their life has meaning) and the search for meaning (how much a person strives to find meaning and understanding in their life). The two sub-scale measures, which consist of 10 items on a 7-point Likert scale, range from 1-absolutely true to 7-absolutely untrue: five items for presence of meaning (POM) and five items for search for meaning (SFM). A POM score > 24 indicates the person feels their life has meaning and purpose. | Baseline and 3 weeks | 
| Change From Baseline in Mean Scores for Meaning in Life Questionnaire Sub-Scale Search for Meaning (SFM) at 3 Weeks | Meaning in Life was measured using the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), created by Steger et al.The MLQ has two sub-scales which assess the presence of meaning (how much a person feels their life has meaning) and the search for meaning (how much a person strives to find meaning and understanding in their life). The two sub-scale measures, which consist of 10 items on a 7-point Likert scale, range from 1-absolutely true to 7-absolutely untrue: five items for presence of meaning (POM) and five items for search for meaning (SFM). An SFM score of < 24 indicates the person is not seeking meaning in their life. | Baseline and 3 weeks |