*3.1. Characteristics of the Studies and Participants Included*

The articles were published between 2006 and 2020. The main objective of most of the articles was to know the efficacy and benefits of doll therapy in the neuropsychiatric symptomatology of elders with severe dementia. Three studies out of the seven were randomized clinical trials [28–30] one a non-randomized clinical trial [31], another an exploratory study [32] one a pilot study [33] and the last, a before-and-after study [20]. The characteristics of each study are described in Table 1.


**Table 1.**

Characteristics

 of the studies included

 in the systematic

 review.


**Table 1.** *Cont*.


**Table 1.** *Cont*.

Scale; QUALID: quality of life in late-stage dementia; SMMSE: Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination; SPMSQ: short portable mental status questionnaire;

RCT: randomized controlled trial.

The studies included made the assessment of the appearance of SPCD through several tests, mainly the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), Observed Emotions Rating Scale (OERS), and Eating Behavior Scale (EBS). The quality of life in late-stage dementia (QUALID) was used as well to assess life quality.
