Khanitin Jornkokgoud

Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is a group-based psychological treatment for people with dementia as well as those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and is shown to improve cognition and emotions. Previous studies have indicated the potential to benefit from integrated with other approaches, called multicomponent CST (MCST), and the use of technology devices in group interventions. The study aimed to compare tablet- and group-based MCST, tablet- and group-based CST, and control groups with equal sample sizes, randomized among 93 older adults with MCI, employing pre- and post-test evaluations. The effects of cognitive functions have been analyzed as indexed by computerized neuropsychological tests. The results show that older adults with MCI in the tablet- and group-based MCST and CST groups had improved cognitive functions including learning and memory (paired associate learning tasks), language (verbal fluency tasks), and visuospatial (the Corsi-block tapping and mental rotation tasks), better than the control group. Moreover, the tablet- and group-based MCST group also show different effects of multisensory integration (the sound-induced flash illusion task) from the control group but not in the tablet- and group-based CST group. Moreover, the tablet- and group-based MCST and CST groups showed reductions in depression and anxiety, unlike the control group in the post-intervention. Our findings provide extended knowledge and guidance for implementing tablet- and group-based MCST in individuals with MCI in Thailand.