Table 3. Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations), and Student's t-test results at baseline, for all measures of interest by group (CST-IT vs active controls).

	CST-IT group Pre-test		Active controls Pre-test		CST-IT group vs Active controls		CST-IT group Post-test		Active controls Post-test
	M	SD	M	SD	t (33)	p	M	SD	M	SD
MMSE	20.29	3.42	19.03	4.65	0.92	0.36	21.72	4.45	17.79	3.47
ADAS-Cog	31.85	10.25	31.22	12.14	0.16	0.86	28.99	9.36	32.29	9.75
Backward digit span task	2.88	0.62	2.25	0.97	1.97	0.08	3.19	1.33	2.17	0.39
Narrative language test	9.90	4.56	13.69	7.19	–1.86	0.10	12.35	5.28	12.77	6.34
Quality of life – Alzheimer's Disease Scale, people with dementia	25.05	9.78	28.43	7.82	–1.08	0.27	27.35	9.41	28.00	6.87
Quality of life – Alzheimer's Disease Scale, caregivers	28.94	7.42	26.92	6.01	0.79	0.44	29.89	7.01	27.75	6.20
Social and emotional loneliness scale Total score	16.71	3.84	16.93	5.08	–0.14	0.88	18.33	5.09	18.64	4.89
Social and emotional loneliness scale: Social loneliness	8.52	2.58	8.21	3.02	0.32	0.74	8.90	3.21	8.14	3.23
Social and emotional loneliness scale: Emotional loneliness	8.19	2.18	8.71	2.84	–0.62	0.54	9.43	2.54	10.50	1.95
Cornell scale	5.90	5.45	4.14	2.54	1.13	0.27	4.19	4.33	3.50	4.01
NPI – total score	9.71	12.81	4.43	4.64	1.47	0.15	7.86	9.24	4.00	3.92
NPI – distress score	4.50	4.89	1.92	2.72	1.72	0.09	3.85	4.68	2.08	2.57
Disability Assessment for Dementia	42.33	26.45	38.44	21.61	0.36	0.72	43.10	22.63	41.92	18.98

CST-IT: Cognitive stimulation therapy – Italian adaptation; MMSE: Mini-Mental State Examination; ADAS-Cog: Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale – Cognitive subscale; NPI: Neuropsychiatric Inventory.