A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Two Types of Memory Training Programs in People With a Diagnosis of Mental Illness.

A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Two Types of Cognitive Training Interventions Administered to Individuals With a Diagnosis of a Mental Health Condition.

This study will compare the effectiveness of a psychoeducational memory program versus a computerized memory program in individuals with mental illness. Although improvements are expected with both form of interventions, we do not know which will provide maximal benefit in this population.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Memory Impairment
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Memory Intervention

Detailed Description

The aim of the current study is to compare two memory strategies, a top-down (i.e., educational and interventional)protocol vs. a bottom-up (computerized)protocol, in a population of individuals diagnosed with mental illness. Performance on ecologically validated memory tasks will be measured before and after each intervention protocol. Improvements are expected following each protocol. However, there is no evidence available to support added benefits from one protocol over another. As such, the current study will endeavour to contrast the two intervention types (top-down vs. bottom-up) to determine which, if any, provides maximal benefit.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 76
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8N 3K7
      • St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Memory impairment equivalent to 1.5 std. dev. below average for age
• Speak and read English fluently

Exclusion Criteria:

• Older than 65 years of age
• Significant visual impairment (e.g., cataracts, macular degeneration)
• Motor impairment (e.g., hemiplegia on dominant side)
• Diagnosis of Dementia
• Alcohol and/or substance abuse (in past 3 months)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Memory Intervention; Two types of memory protocols (psychoeducational vs computerized) will be compared in a population of individuals with mental illness.	Other: Memory Intervention; A comparison of two type of memory intervention protocols; a psychoeducational/intervention protocol versus a computerized memory protocol in a population of individuals with mental illness.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Declarative Memory Measure - Hopkins Verbal Learning Test	Individuals participating in either protocol (i.e., top-down or bottom-up) will complete the memory measure before the commencement of the treatment and again at the end of treatment.	Participants will be asked to complete this measure prior to the start of the intervention and again at the completion of the intervention (i.e., interval of 5 weeks between pre and post measurements).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Mood Measure - Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1993)	Participants will be asked to complete this measure prior to the start of the intervention and again at the completion of the intervention (i.e., interval of 5 weeks between pre and post measurements).

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Functional - Multifactorial Metamemory Questionnaire (Troyer & Rich, 2011)	Participants will be asked to complete this measure prior to the start of the intervention and again at the completion of the intervention (i.e., interval of 5 weeks between pre and post measurements).

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Bruno J Losier, Ph.D., St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): October 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Anticipated): October 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 10, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 15, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): October 16, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): October 16, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 15, 2012
• Last Verified: October 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Memory; Intervention; Mental Illness; Computerized; Psychoeducational
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: R.P. #12-3749; SJHH (Other Identifier: St. Joseph Healthcare Hamilton)