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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT06465173

Self-compassion and Quality of Life After Dementia Diagnosis

This study aims to investigate whether self-compassion is associated with older adult's quality of life after a diagnosis of dementia, and whether perceived threat posed by dementia mediates this relationship. Self-compassion has been found to be positive in supporting individuals in times of difficulty, in adjustment processes and older adults' wellbeing. While different factors have begun to be identified which are associated with individuals' psychological wellbeing and adjustment following a dementia diagnosis, little is known about the influence of self-compassion.

Participants will be recruited via NHS memory clinics, Join Dementia Research and from the community via third-sector organisations. Individuals will be invited to attend a Microsoft Teams/telephone appointment in which informed consent and cognitive screening processes will take place at the start. Eligible participants will then be invited to continue to complete measures administered by a researcher and an interview question. Participants will be offered the opportunity to complete the measures in a second session (within 8 weeks) or using the online survey software, Qualtrics, if preferred.

A small pilot study (n = 5) will take place prior to the main study.

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Key information

Conditions

Dementia Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurocognitive Disorders

Age range

65 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 7JX, United Kingdom

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • An older adult aged ≥ 65 years
  • A confirmed diagnosis of dementia received within the past 12 months
  • They have knowledge of their diagnosis
  • They have English language proficiency
  • They have capacity to give informed consent to participation.

Exclusion criteria

  • They are deemed to lack capacity to give informed consent to participate (as per the Mental Capacity Act, 2005).
  • They have a diagnosis of early-onset dementia, defined as individuals who are aged < 65 at diagnosis
  • A score on the MoCA Blind (Nasreddine, 2022b) screening measure of <7 out of 22, which is calculated as equivalent to <10 out of 30 on the MoCA (Nasreddine et al., 2005).

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease

    Time frame: Through study completion, average 40-60 minutes

    The Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease consists of 13 items relating to different aspects of quality of life, such as mood, physical health, friends and ability to do things for fun. Each item is scored from 1 ('poor') to 4 ('excellent') to calculate a total score.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Stress Appraisal Measure

    Time frame: Through study completion, average 40-60 minutes

    The Stress Appraisal Measure consists of 28 items pertaining to perceived future threat, measured across seven subscales; three referring to primary appraisals of threat, centrality and challenge, three relating to secondary appraisal - controllable by self, controllable by others and uncontrollable), and stressfulness. Only the threat and 'stressfulness' subscales, consisting of four items respectively, will be completed.

  2. Geriatric Depression Scale - 10

    Time frame: Through study completion, average 40-60 minutes

    The Geriatric Depression Scale - 10, consisting of 10 items relating to how the person has felt over the past week (e.g. 'do you feel happy most of the time?'), has good reliability (α = 0.75), sensitivity and specificity. The Geriatric Depression Scale -10 is considered a reliable screening measure for major depression in older adults.

Other outcomes

  1. Self-compassion Scale - Short Form

    Time frame: Through study completion, average 40-60 minutes

    The Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form consists of 12 items relating to six subscales (self-judgement, self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, isolation and over-identification), with each item scored from 1 ('almost never') to 5 ('almost always') and three items reverse-scored. The Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form is a shortened version of the Self-Compassion Scale. It is recommended utilising a total mean score calculated using the subscale mean scores, and this will be adopted in the current study to form the independent variable.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

Other Gov

Registry information

Official study title

Is Self-compassion Associated With Older Adults' Quality of Life After Dementia Diagnosis and Does Perceived Threat Posed by Dementia Mediate This Relationship?

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Jun 18, 2024
Registry last updated
Apr 16, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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