An interventional study of Doll Therapy in Dementia, sponsored by Xinyu ZHANG. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 60 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-03.
Sponsored by Xinyu ZHANG · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Dementia is a major health challenge associated with population aging. As dementia progresses, patients often experience a decline in their ability to perform basic activities of daily living (BADL), such as dressing and personal hygiene, leading to increased dependence on caregivers. Apathy, characterized by reduced motivation, interest, and initiative, is a common symptom of dementia and may contribute to difficulties in initiating daily activities.
Doll therapy is a non-pharmacological intervention that involves guided interaction with dolls to promote emotional engagement, motivation, and participation in activities. Previous studies suggest that doll therapy may help alleviate apathy and improve behavioral symptoms in patients with dementia. However, its effects on the initiation of basic daily activities remain unclear.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of doll therapy in improving apathy and basic activities of daily living among older adults with dementia. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a doll therapy group or a usual care group. The intervention will last for 2 weeks, and outcomes will be assessed at baseline, Week 2 (end of intervention), and Week 4 (follow-up).
The primary outcome is the severity of apathy. Secondary outcomes include basic activities of daily living, quality of life, and neuropsychiatric symptoms.
The study hypothesizes that doll therapy will reduce apathy and improve the ability to initiate and perform basic daily activities in older adults with dementia compared with usual care.
Background
Dementia is a progressive condition characterized by cognitive impairment, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and declining functional independence. Impairment in basic activities of daily living (BADL), particularly dressing and personal hygiene, represents a major challenge in dementia care. Such impairment may result not only from cognitive and physical limitations but also from apathy-related difficulties in initiating goal-directed activities.
Apathy is characterized by diminished motivation, reduced initiative, and decreased engagement in purposeful activities. It is commonly observed in patients with dementia and may contribute to increasing dependence on caregivers. Interventions targeting apathy may therefore have potential benefits for maintaining daily functioning and reducing care dependency.
Doll therapy is an emerging non-pharmacological intervention that provides sensory stimulation, emotional engagement, and opportunities for social interaction. Existing evidence suggests potential benefits for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Nevertheless, evidence regarding its effects on apathy and BADL initiation deficits remains limited.
Study Objectives
The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of doll therapy in reducing apathy among older adults with dementia. The secondary objective is to investigate whether doll therapy improves basic activities of daily living, particularly difficulties in initiating daily activities, as well as quality of life and neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Study Design and Procedures
This study is a randomized controlled trial with an assessor-blinded, parallel-group design. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to either the intervention group or the control group using stratified permuted block randomization.
Participants in the intervention group will receive doll therapy in addition to usual care. The intervention will be delivered three times per week, with each session lasting approximately 30 minutes, over a 2-week period. The control group will receive usual care without doll therapy.
Outcome assessments will be conducted at three time points: baseline, Week 2 (immediately after the intervention), and Week 4 (2 weeks after completion of the intervention). Outcome assessors will remain unaware of participants' group assignments.
Expected Contribution
This study aims to provide evidence regarding the potential effectiveness of doll therapy in reducing apathy and improving daily functioning among older adults with dementia. The findings may inform the development of practical, low-cost, non-pharmacological interventions for dementia care.
2,372 studies on the registry are indexed under Dementia; 574 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 106 is above the median of 90 across 1,758 interventional studies indexed under Dementia.
Browse Dementia studies →This is the only study on the registry with Xinyu ZHANG as lead sponsor.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
DSM diagnostic criteria
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants in the experimental group will receive doll therapy in addition to usual care. Doll therapy will be administered three times per week, with each session lasting approximately 30 minutes, over a 2-week period. The intervention will involve guided interaction with therapeutic dolls to promote emotional engagement, motivation, and participation in activities of daily living.
Behavioral: Doll Therapy
Participants in the control group will receive usual care according to standard hospital nursing practices. Usual care includes routine medical treatment, nursing care, and assistance with basic activities of daily living as needed. No additional structured intervention or doll therapy will be administered as part of the study.
Doll therapy is a non-pharmacological behavioral intervention involving guided interaction with therapeutic dolls. Trained personnel will facilitate interactions to promote emotional engagement, motivation, and participation in daily activities. The intervention will be delivered three times per week, with each session lasting approximately 30 minutes, over a 2-week period, in addition to usual care.
Apathy Evaluation Scale-Informant Version (AES-I) Total Score
Apathy will be assessed using the Apathy Evaluation Scale-Informant Version (AES-I), an 18-item informant-rated scale designed to evaluate apathy in patients with dementia. Each item is rated on a 4-point Likert scale, yielding a total score ranging from 18 to 72. Higher scores indicate greater severity of apathy.
Time frame: At baseline, Week 2 (end of intervention), and Week 4 (follow-up).
Basic Activities of Daily Living Assessment for Patients with Cognitive Impairment (C-BADL) Score
Basic activities of daily living (BADL) will be assessed using the Cognitive Impairment-Basic Activities of Daily Living (C-BADL) assessment. Functional limitations are classified into eight phenotypes: independence (no deficits), initiation deficits (inability to independently initiate a task or recognize the need to perform it), planning deficits (failure to prepare necessary items before performing a task), organizational deficits (difficulty sequencing actions logically or monitoring task performance), partial execution deficits (requiring minimal physical assistance), severe execution deficits (requiring moderate physical assistance), complete inability (requiring full assistance), and resistance to care
Time frame: At baseline, Week 2 (end of intervention), and Week 4 (follow-up).
Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) Score
Quality of life will be assessed using the Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) scale. The scale consists of 13 items covering physical health, energy, mood, living situation, memory, family relationships, marital relationship, friendships, overall self-perception, ability to perform household activities, ability to enjoy leisure activities, financial situation, and overall quality of life. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale. Higher scores indicate better quality of life.
Time frame: At baseline, Week 2 (end of intervention), and Week 4 (follow-up).
Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) Total Severity Score
The Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) assesses 12 neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with dementia. Each symptom is evaluated based on its presence or absence and, if present, its severity. Higher scores indicate greater severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Time frame: At baseline, Week 2 (end of intervention), and Week 4 (follow-up).
Plan to share: No
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