Cognitive Stimulation Therapy and loneliness in people with mild-to-moderate dementia

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is a psychosocial intervention with robust evidence of efficacy and is recommended to support cognitive functioning, counteract psychological and behavioural symptoms, and ameliorate quality of life in people with dementia. The recently published study, part of a broader multicentre project, examined for the first time whether social and emotional loneliness can be reduced through CST in individuals with mild-to-moderate dementia. The study also explored the role of baseline levels of social and emotional loneliness in influencing the cognitive, behavioural, psychological and quality-of-life benefits promoted by the intervention. A total of 115 individuals with mild-to-moderate dementia took part in the study, assigned either to a CST group or to an active control group. The findings showed a short-term reduction in emotional loneliness only among those who participated in CST. No significant changes, however, were observed for social loneliness. It also emerged that baseline loneliness modulates the benefits of the intervention: lower levels of social loneliness were associated with greater reductions in depressive symptoms, whereas higher levels of emotional loneliness were related to more pronounced improvements in quality of life, both in the short and long term. A person-centred approach that integrates cognitive stimulation and social interaction—key components of CST—appears to reduce emotional loneliness, namely the perception of lacking close and fulfilling intimate relationships. Considering the different components of loneliness in the design and evaluation of psychosocial interventions for dementia opens new avenues for both basic and applied research.

Authors: Riccardo Domenicucci, Elena Carbone, Federica Piras, Erika Borella


Full article: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1656626