Impact of Snoezelen Intervention and Reminiscence Therapy on Seniors' Emotionality and Anxiety

Short Term and Long Term Impact of Snoezelen Intervention and Reminiscence Therapy on Emotionality and Anxiety and the Dynamics of Their Change in Older Adults in Slovak Elderly Care Facilities

The aim of the study is to verify and compare the short-term and long-term effectiveness (retention) of Snoezelen intervention and reminiscence therapy and to analyze the dynamics of changes in the level of emotionality and anxiety of seniors in experimental groups and the control group.

The main question is:

There are significant differences in the level of emotionality (negative and positive emotional states) and anxiety between the two experimental groups of seniors and the control group of seniors during the measurements (pre-test measurement vs. retest measurement I; pre-test measurement vs. retest measurement II; retest measurement vs. retest measurement II)?

Researchers will compare seniors receiving Snoezelen intervention, those receiving Reminiscence Therapy, and a control group without intervention to see if the interventions lead to measurable improvements in emotionality and anxiety.

Participants will take part in Snoezelen sessions, take part in Reminiscence Therapy sessions, complete pretest, retest and retest II assessments measuring emotionality and anxiety.

The study was registered retrospectively due to a limited awareness of the requirement to register behavioural interventions at the time of its initiation in 2022/2023. Initially conceived as a small-scale exploratory project, formal trial registration was not deemed necessary in the early planning stages.

As a doctoral student and early-career researcher, I was initially unaware that behavioural intervention studies also require formal registration. However, as the research progressed and its scope and significance became clearer, I recognised the importance of fulfilling this requirement. Upon learning of the relevant guidelines, I promptly took the necessary steps to complete the registration.

Although registration occurred at a later stage, the study was carried out in accordance with a pre-specified protocol, strictly adhering to methodological and ethical standards-approved, for instance, by the Ethics Committee of Matej Bel University. The hypotheses, study design, and analysis plan were defined prior to data collection, thereby ensuring the rigour, integrity, and transparency of the research process.

Funded by the EU NextGenerationEU through the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Slovakia under the project No. 09I03-03-V05-0000.

Inclusion Criteria:

• long-term residence in the facility,
• age over 62,
• willingness to participate,
• ability to participate (no severe cognitive or physical impairments)

Inclusion Criteria for Snoezelen:

• mentioned above
• participants who have undergone Reminiscence therapy as part of previous research

Exclusion Criteria:

• significant physical problems,
• significant mental health problems,
• unwillingness to participate