Table 1.
Participant characteristics at baseline by cognitive status
| Characteristics | All (N = 261) | MCI (n = 122) | Normal cognition (n = 139) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female, n (%) | 187 (71.6) | 90 (73.8) | 97 (69.8) | .494 |
| Age years, Mean (SD) | 74.4 (6.3) | 75.3 (6.7) | 73.7 (5.8) | .08 |
| Education – college or university degree, n (%) | 67 (25.6) | 21 (17.2) | 46 (33.1) | .003* |
| Living alone, n (%) | 137 (52.4) | 75 (61.5) | 62 (44.6) | .01* |
| MOCAb, Mean score (SD) | 24.5 (2.4) | 23.3 (1.4) | 27.4 (1.3) | .000* |
| General health status (poor or fair), n (%) | 88 (32.8) | 49 (32.8) | 44 (31.7) | .895 |
| Comorbidities, Mean (SD) | 7.4 (2.5) | 7.2 (2.4) | 7.6 (2.7) | .335 |
| Self-reported indication for benzodiazepine: | ||||
| Insomniac, n (%) | 159 (60.9) | 73 (59.8) | 86 (61.9) | .417 |
| Anxietyc, n (%) | 126 (48.3) | 70 (57.4) | 56 (40.3) | .006* |
| Duration of benzodiazepine use (years), Mean (SD) | 10.7 (8.8) | 10.3 (8.0) | 10.9 (9.4) | .548 |
| Previous attempts at cessation, n (%) | 119 (45.6) | 52 (42.6) | 67 (48.2) | .321 |
| Successful attempts, n (%) | 41 (15.7) | 14 (11.5) | 27 (19.4) | .123 |
| Benzodiazepine typed, n (%): | ||||
| Short-acting | 70 (26.8) | 36 (29.5) | 34 (24.5) | .358 |
| Intermediate acting | 180 (70.0) | 81 (66.4) | 99 (71.2) | .400 |
| Long acting | 11 (4.2) | 5 (4.1) | 6 (4.3) | .888 |
| Benzodiazepine Equivalent dosea, Mean (SD) | 1.24 (.85) | 1.27 (.75) | 1.25 (.82) | .571 |
| Number of medications at baseline | 9.86 (3.7) | 9.72 (3.8) | 9.98 (3.6) | .574 |
| Baseline Self-efficacy in tapering benzodiazepine (/100), Mean (SD) | 38.1 (35.6) | 31.2 (34.8) | 44.1 (35.4) | .004* |
*Level of significance, p < 0.05
aBenzodiazepine dose in mg of lorazepam equivalents/day
bMOCA: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (scale 0–30)
cBased on medical diagnosis but self-reported by patients
dShort-acting = half-life <6 h, Intermediate acting = half-life 6–20 h, Long-acting = half-life >20 h