We conducted a systematic review of the effects of mindfulness training on depression in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Four databases were used to search for literature published through April 2023. The selection criteria were as follows: (1) participants were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, (2) mindfulness-based interventions were used, (3) assessment of depression was conducted using standardized scales, (4) the study was a randomized controlled trial, and (5) the article was written in English or Japanese. Six studies were identified. The interventions were group- based and lasted 8 weeks to 9 months, and the rating scales were GDS-15, GDS-M, and GDS-30. Depression improved significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group in one study, and depression improved before and after the intervention in four studies, indicating a degree of intervention effectiveness. Mindfulness training may help prevent the onset of dementia.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the structure of behavioral patterns in parent-child caregiving and their relations to caregiving burdens and mental health problems. For data, we recruited 534 adult children who were caring for or had cared for their parents at home to complete the questionnaire. Factor analysis for items on behavioral patterns showed five factors: “immersion,” “letting-go caregiving,” “utilization of services,” “autopilot,” and “adjusting to oneself or one’s parents.” No significant differences between caregiving dyads were found in any of five factors. “Autopilot” had a positive explanatory power for caregiving burdens. “Immersion” and “autopilot” had positive explanatory power for mental health problems. “Letting-go caregiving,” in contrast, had negative explanatory power. Based on the above, the following supports could reduce mental health problems: reducing the desirability of control and sharing feelings and daily parents’ condition against “immersion,” exercising mindfulness against “autopilot,” coordinating family relationships and providing peer support for “letting-go caregiving.”

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Mental health education plays a crucial role in clinical geropsychology within the community, serving as a primary prevention measure. This study used quantitative text analysis to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the intergenerational interaction between older adults and children. An online survey gathered 2,097 sentences from 600 general citizens (365 men and 235 women) with a mean age of 53.1 years (SD=14.5). Free-answer and sentence-completion techniques were employed to analyze their perception of intergenerational interaction. The co-occurrence network analysis unveiled eight groups of intergenerational interaction. These encompassed concepts such as “transmission of knowledge and experience,” “transmission of custom,” “prevention from cognitive decline,” “difference in values,” “vigor,” “fatigue,” “risk for infection,” and “altruistic affect.” As surveyed in the questionnaire, these groups exhibited variations in occurrence frequency regarding advantages and disadvantages and responses from different generations (older adults or children). The present findings offer insights that advocate for implementing intergenerational interventions as a part of clinical practice in the community.

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Family caregivers of people living with dementia (PLWD) should be supported based on their needs. This study web-surveyed 200 Japanese caregivers to find their psychosocial support needs and the related variables. The main variables were the ages of the PLWD, family relationships between the carer and PLWD, and the care burden. The relationships were analyzed using an analysis of multiple correspondence, which visualizes the relationships on dimensions. As a result, the analysis revealed close plots of variables with support needs as follows: “spouses” and “gatherings of family members and PLWDs”; “family aged less than 80” and “training of dementia care, particularly on copings of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia”. These groups have the support needs of active participation. On the other hand, “feeling much burden”, “children and children-in-law of PLWD”, and “their PLWD aged 80 or more” were plotted near “support information” and “respite care”. Such groups have more passive support needs compared to the previous groups. Moreover, “feeling less care burden” was plotted near “counseling”. The promotion of support according to the caregiver’s background and needs was discussed.

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