Background: Shogi is a traditional board game in Japan, and a preventative stress management program based on Shogi-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy (S-CBT) has been applied in the Japanese municipality of Kakogawa City. The study aimed to develop an S-CBT preventive stress management program for the elderly and determine its efficacy.
Methods: The participants were 67 elderly men with amateur-level Shogi skills. They were randomly assigned to either the S-CBT group (n = 33) or the waiting-list control group (n = 34). The S-CBT program was conducted over six 90-min sessions. The outcome measures were recorded using the K6 instrument, the Japanese version of the abbreviated Lubben Social Network Scale, five items on cognitive behavioral functioning, and subjective well-being.
Results and Conclusions: The dropout rates of the S-CBT group and waiting-list control groups were 36.4% and 44.1%, respectively. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each group. Domains that changed immediately after the S-CBT intervention were problem-solving skills, self-reinforcement, and negative automatic thoughts. Future research should promote mental and physical health through the design of intervention programs using familiar materials.
Trial registration: University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN CTR) UMIN000036003.