The Effect of Reminiscence Therapy on the Assessment of Depression, Anxiety and Self-Esteem in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: An Intervention Study.

The study had no control group, so changes cannot be separated from time, repeated testing, group social contact or selection. It used convenience sampling and only 24 participants completed both measurements, so results cannot be generalised to all community-dwelling older adults. Thirty-one participants enrolled, but only 24 attended all sessions and completed questionnaires, and non-completion was mainly due to acute illness. The sample was almost entirely female, with only one man, limiting relevance to older men. Average baseline depression and anxiety scores were in normal or non-severe ranges, so the study does not show what happens in more severe depression or anxiety. The measuring instruments were originally developed in other countries, although Czech versions were used.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that reminiscence therapy caused a clinically important improvement. This was an uncontrolled before-and-after study, and the average starting scores were in normal or non-severe ranges, so change could reflect time, repeated testing, group social contact or selection.