Doll Therapy Intervention Reduces Challenging Behaviours of Women with Dementia Living in Nursing Homes: Results from a Randomized Single-Blind Controlled Trial

• Published in: Journal of clinical medicine Vol. 11; no. 21; p. 6262
• Main Authors: Molteni, Valentina, Vaccaro, Roberta, Ballabio, Roberta, Ceppi, Laura, Cantù, Marco, Ardito, Rita B, Adenzato, Mauro, Poletti, Barbara, Guaita, Antonio, Pezzati, Rita
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 24-10-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Apathy; Attachment; Biomarkers; Caregivers; Clinical medicine; Cognitive ability; Dementia; Design; Intervention; Mental depression; Nursing homes; Patients; caregivers; non-pharmacological therapies; attachment; challenging behaviours; dementia; doll therapy; biomarkers of stress
• ISSN: 2077-0383; 2077-0383
• DOI: 10.3390/jcm11216262

Background: Doll therapy (DT) is a non-pharmacological intervention for the treatment of the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). We designed a single-blind randomized controlled trial of the 30-day efficacy of DT in reducing the BPSD, professional caregivers’ distress and patients’ biomarkers of stress, and in improving the exploration and caregiving behaviours. Methods: We randomly assigned 134 women with moderate-to-severe dementia living in nursing homes (NHs) to a DT intervention (DTI, 67) or a sham intervention with a cube (SI, 67). Results: From the first to the 30th session, the DTI group showed a significant decrease in the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-NH (NPI-NH) total score and in the NPI-NH-Distress score compared to the SI group (both p < 0.001). We observed a greater interest in the doll than in the cube, a greater acceptance of a separation from the nurse among DTI participants, and caregiving and exploratory behaviours towards the doll. There were no differences between the groups in the stress biomarkers. Conclusions: Consistent with attachment theory, our findings support the 30-day efficacy of DT, as this non-pharmacological intervention promotes perceptions of security by creating a situation in which patients feel confident and engaged in a caregiving relationship with the doll and reduces the challenging behaviours that are stressful for professional caregivers.