ReviewJournal of clinical nursing2019
Symptoms of apathy and passivity in dementia: A simultaneous concept analysis.
Review in Journal of clinical nursing, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The effect of physical exercise on apathy in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Elderly With Dementia During COVID-19 Pandemic: Definition, Treatment, and Future Directions.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2020Pooled it
- Process evaluation of an implementation study in dementia care (EIT-4-BPSD): stakeholder perspectives.BMC health services research · 2021Trial
- 'Doing it together?' A dyadic qualitative study of perceptions, facilitators, barriers and expectations for physical activity in dementia.Age and ageing · 2026Article
- An LLM-supported just-in-time adaptive intervention delivered by a socially assistive robot for cognitive training in mild cognitive impairment: study protocol for an assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Effects of Mental Imagery on Quality of Life, Cognitive, and Emotional Status in Older Adults with Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Effects of Multi-Sensory Stimulation on Apathy Symptoms in Elderly Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.Iranian journal of public health · 2024Article
- Experiences and understanding of apathy in people with neurocognitive disorders and their carers: a qualitative interview study.Age and ageing · 2023Article
- Nomenclature Used by Family Caregivers to Describe and Characterize Neuropsychiatric Symptoms.The Gerontologist · 2020Article
- The association between patient engagement and quality of care interactions among acute care patients with dementia.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
AIMS AND
objectivesThe objective of this analysis was to clarify the concepts of apathy and passivity in the context of dementia by identifying distinguishing and overlapping attributes for both concepts simultaneously.
backgroundApathy is among the most common and persistent symptoms in dementia. The concept of apathy is often used interchangeably with passivity. Understanding similarities and differences between these concepts is of critical importance in clarifying clinical diagnostic criteria, developing consistent measurement in research and translating research evidence into nursing practice.
designA systematic literature search of multiple databases identified relevant articles for review. A modified combination of Haase et al.'s simultaneous concept analysis method and Morses' principle-based concept analysis using qualitative content and thematic analysis procedures was applied to identify overlapping and distinguishing attributes.
methodsA search of PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO databases identified 176 articles meeting inclusion criteria. The concepts of apathy and passivity were characterised using a standardised manual to identify attributes of definitions (conceptual and operational), related conditions, functional, behavioural and neurobiological correlates, antecedents and consequences. Thematic analysis identified common themes across each category which were tabulated and entered into comparative matrices to identify overlapping and distinguishing features.
resultsThere is considerable overlap across attributes of apathy and passivity. Apathy is distinguished as a clinical syndrome characterised by loss of motivation not due to emotional distress or cognitive impairment. Passivity is distinguished as a lack of interaction between the individual and environment in the context of cognitive impairment.
conclusionIn contrast to passivity, apathy is a more robustly defined concept focused on motivational limitations within the individual associated with specific neuroanatomical deficits. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The identification of key distinguishing features of apathy and passivity in dementia is a critical first step in ensuring consistent measurement of each concept.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.