Effectiveness of gamification in improving in depressive symptoms among older adults with cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background and Objectives Cognitive impairment, a growing public health issue linked to aging, is often accompanied by depressive symptoms in older adults. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of gamification in improving depressive symptoms in older adults...

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Publicado en:Gerontologist Vol. 66; no. 7; pp. 1 - 21
Autores principales: Chen, Zhi, Chen, Danting, Zhu, Ziping, Lin, Xinying, Li, Hong, Lin, Rong
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Jul2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      pub: Oxford University Press / USA
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        10.1093/geront/gnag094
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        atl: Effectiveness of gamification in improving in depressive symptoms among older adults with cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
      aug:
        au:
          Chen, Zhi
          Chen, Danting
          Zhu, Ziping
          Lin, Xinying
          Li, Hong
          Lin, Rong
        affil: The School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
      su:
        Aging
        Public health
        Mental depression
        Old age
        Cognition disorders treatment
        Medical information storage & retrieval systems
        Research funding
        CINAHL database
        Treatment effectiveness
        Meta-analysis
        Descriptive statistics
        Treatment duration
        Systematic reviews
        MEDLINE
        Medical databases
        Confidence intervals
        Online information services
        Data analysis software
        Gamification
      sug:
        subj:
          Aging
          Public health
          Mental depression
          Old age
          Health and Welfare Funds
          Cognition disorders treatment
          Medical information storage & retrieval systems
          Research funding
          CINAHL database
          Treatment effectiveness
          Meta-analysis
          Descriptive statistics
          Treatment duration
          Systematic reviews
          MEDLINE
          Medical databases
          Confidence intervals
          Online information services
          Data analysis software
          Gamification
      keyword:
        aged
        Cognitive dysfunction
        cognitive impairment
        copyrightHolder:The Gerontological Society of America
        copyrightYear:2026
        Depression
        depressive disorders
        gamification
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnag094
        inLanguage:en
        public health medicine
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        Research design
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42083801/
        aged
        Cognitive dysfunction
        cognitive impairment
        copyrightHolder:The Gerontological Society of America
        copyrightYear:2026
        Depression
        depressive disorders
        gamification
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnag094
        inLanguage:en
        public health medicine
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        Research design
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42083801/
      ab: Background and Objectives Cognitive impairment, a growing public health issue linked to aging, is often accompanied by depressive symptoms in older adults. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of gamification in improving depressive symptoms in older adults with cognitive impairment. Research Design and Methods Randomized controlled trials investigating the effectiveness of gamification in improving depressive symptoms in older adults with cognitive impairment were included in this study. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool version 2, while overall certainty of the evidence was evaluated through the GRADE system. Data synthesis was conducted using meta-analysis for quantitative data synthesis, complemented by narrative synthesis where appropriate. Results 21 randomized controlled trials involving 1,385 participants were included in this study. Gamification was modestly but significantly effective in improving depressive symptoms of older adults with cognitive impairment (standardized mean difference = −0.92, 95% CI = −1.25 to −0.60, p  < .00001). Subgroup analyses based on different depression scales, forms of gamification interventions, intervention durations, and gamification design elements showed that the interventions may reduce depression scores compared with the control condition. The evidence level for depression scores as the primary outcome was rated as moderate. Discussion and Implications Gamification shows promise as a supplementary intervention for reducing depressive symptoms in clinical settings. Future studies should focus on optimizing intervention design and ensuring real-world applicability. Identifying key features linked to symptom improvement can guide the development of more effective therapeutic tools.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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