Nostalgia as a psychological resource for people with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence of effectiveness from experimental studies
Open accessAbstract
Objective This review systematically examines evidence relating to the effect of nostalgia on psychological well-being through a meta-analysis of measures of social connectedness, self-esteem, meaning in life, self-continuity, optimism and positive and negative affect. Rationale: If nostalgia is to be used as a clinical intervention to boost well-being in dementia by reducing threat, then it is important to assess its therapeutic potential. Results Searches carried out in July 2014 and updated in February 2018 identified 47 eligible experimental studies comparing nostalgic reminiscence and non-nostalgic reminiscence to be included in the meta-analysis. Nostalgic reminiscence had moderate effects on positive affect (0.51 (0.37, 0.65), p= 0.001), social connectedness (0.72 (0.57, 0.87), p= 0.001), self-esteem (0.50 (0.30, 0.70), p= 0.001), meaning in life (0.77 (0.47, 1.08), p= 0.001) and optimism (0.38 (0.28, 0.47), p= 0.001) and a large effect on self-continuity (0.81 (0.55, 1.07), p= 0.001). There was, however, no difference between the effect of nostalgic reminiscence and non-nostalgic reminiscence for negative affect (−0.06 (−0.20, 0.09), p= 0.443). Conclusion This systematic review and meta-analysis provides an overview of the evidence base for nostalgia. This is an important stage in developing nostalgia as a clinical intervention for people with dementia which might be achieved, for instance, by adapting current reminiscence and life review techniques. This meta-analysis will therefore also serve as a valuable reference point for the continued exploration of nostalgia as an intervention.
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Nostalgia fosters social connectedness.
“Wildschut et al. discovered that those who reflected on a nostalgic event evinced greater social connectedness.”
From Nostalgia: An impactful social emotion (2023) · cites this paper as [30]
The effect of nostalgia on social connectedness has been observed among young and older adults, and in North America, Europe, and Asia.
“The effect has been observed among young and older adults, and in North America, Europe, and Asia.”
From Nostalgia: An impactful social emotion (2023) · cites this paper as [30]
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Nostalgia: An impactful social emotion
Juhl, J., & Biskas, M. (2023) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101545 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
- Authors
- Umar Ismail, S., Cheston, R., Christopher, G., & Meyrick, J.
- Affiliations
- University of the West of England (GB)
- Venue
- Dementia
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2018-05-10
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 330-351
- ISSN
- 1471-3012 (ISSN-L)
- 1741-2684
- OpenAlex
- W2802063905
- Cited by
- 30
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 0.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- Dementia (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UWE Research Repository (UWE Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Nostalgia and Consumer Behavior
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Keywords
- nostalgia, reminiscence, psychological well-being, social connectedness, self-esteem, meaning in life, self-continuity, optimism, positive affect, negative affect, clinical intervention, life review
- MeSH terms
- Optimism, Adult, Affect, Dementia, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Quality of Life, Self Concept, Psychological Distance, Young Adult
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