Does institutionalization influence perceived metamemory, psychological well-being, and working-memory efficiency in Italian elders? A preliminary study

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• 作者：Maria Chiara Fastame ; PhD^a ; ^{chiara.fastame@unica.it" class="auth_mail" title="E-mail the corresponding author} ; Paul Kenneth Hitchcott ; PhD^b ; Maria Pietronilla Penna^a (Full Professor) ; Giorgio Murino ; MD^a
• 关键词：aging ; elderly ; metamemory ; nursing home ; psychological well-being ; working memory
• 刊名：Journal of Clinical Gerontology and Geriatrics
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：March 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：7
• 期：1
• 页码：6-11
• 全文大小：237 K

文摘

This study was mainly aimed at investigating the impact of institutionalization on working-memory and self-referent metamemory abilities in a sample of cognitively healthy Italian elders.

Methods

Fifteen participants (70–91 years old) were recruited from several nursing homes located in Ogliastra, the central eastern area of Sardinia, which is characterized by a higher longevity of its inhabitants. A further sample of 15 community-dwelling elders was recruited in the same areas. The participants were asked to complete several visuospatial and verbal working-memory tasks, and a battery of questionnaires assessing their psychological well-being, general beliefs about global and prospective-memory efficiency, and personal metamnestic abilities.

Results

The results showed that, compared with the community-dwelling participants, the institutionalized elders self-rated lower metamemory efficiency, but they trust more general metamemory functions of a stereotypical adult. Furthermore, no differences were found on the well-being measures between the two groups. These outcomes are not biased by social desirability.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that institutionalization selectively impacts self-assessed metamemory functions, but not psychological well-being.