A Pilot Outcome Study of Art Therapy and Music Therapy With Hospitalized Children (Étude pilote des résultats de l'art-thérapie et de la musicothérapie auprès d'enfants hospitalisés)

Abstract

This article presents the preliminary results of an outcome study comparing the effectiveness of art therapy and music therapy in a large pediatric medical facility. Measures of pain and mood were taken before and after sessions over two and a half years and across six therapists. The findings suggest that mood improved more effectively after art therapy than after music therapy. Although no significant difference was found in pain measured between modalities, the data indicate that music therapy might be more easily tolerated when patients are experiencing moderate or high levels of pain, as considerably fewer art therapy sessions were completed with patients reporting severe pain. A case illustration and the discussion of findings suggest possible clinical applications for maximizing the impact of expressive treatments in medical settings. R ESUM E Cet article pr esente les conclusions pr eliminaires d'une etude des r esultats comparant l'efficacit e de l'art-th erapie et de la musicoth erapie dans un grand centre m edical p ediatrique. Les mesures de la douleur et de l'humeur ont et e prises avant et apr es les s eances sur plus de deux ans et demi ans par six th erapeutes. Les r esultats indiquent que l'humeur s'am eliore de mani ere plus efficace apr es l'art-th erapie qu'apr es la musicoth erapie. Bien qu'aucune diff erence significative n'ait et e trouv ee dans la douleur mesur ee entre les modalit es, les donn ees portent a penser que la musicoth erapie est plus facilement tol er ee lorsque les patients connaissent des niveaux de douleur allant de mod er es a elev es, etant donn e que beaucoup moins de s eances d'art-th erapie ont puêtre compl et ees avec des patients pr esentant une douleur s ev ere. Une illustration de cas et la discussion des r esultats proposent des applications cliniques possibles pour maximiser l'impact des traitements expressifs dans les milieux m edicaux.

Art Is Fun, Art Is Serious Business, and Everything in between: Learning from Art Therapy Research and Practice with Children and Teens

“…Preliminary studies comparing the effectiveness of art therapy and other expressive modalities, such as music therapy, suggest that the child’s source of agony—for example, struggling with physical pain compared to alleviated anxiety and depression—might be better treated by one modality versus another [ 43 ]. In Figure 2 , for example, a 15-year-old child (L) who was meeting the art therapist before a scheduled surgery in her pelvic area was cutting shapes from black cardboard paper, which she said was a way to play and relax.…”

Art Therapy for Children in Short-Term Hospitalization

“…The purpose of this study was to examine and better understand the unique aspects of short-term art therapy with hospitalized children. While art therapy is a well-established practice, it is mostly conducted in a long-term mode ( Holmqvist et al, 2017 ; Metzl et al, 2016 ). However, many children are admitted to the hospital for relatively short stays and still need the emotional support that can be delivered by art therapists ( Hen, 2020 ).…”

“…Similarly, in another study drawing activities were found to enhance communication, understanding of the illness, coping, and children’s emotional expression, and parents reported a reduction in children’s pain levels and nausea in a transfusion room ( Madden et al, 2010 ). Further, Beebe and colleagues ( 2010 ) observed that art therapy decreased anxiety for children suffering from asthma compared to a control group, and Metzl et al ( 2016 ) found that both art and music therapy showed some efficacy in altering pain and mood in hospitalized children. Clapp et al ( 2018 ) argued that distracting the hospitalized child from the illness allows a creative process that leads the child to develop coping solutions along with an improved sense of self-worth.…”

Pengaruh Kombinasi Terapi Musik Dan Art Therapy Terhadap Tingkat Nyeri Pasien Kanker Payudara

“…Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa ada perbedaan yang signifikan antara tingkat nyeri sebelum dengan setelah perlakuan pada kelompok yang mendapat intervensi art therapy dan terapi musik. Metzl et al (2016), meneliti tentang efektivitas art therapy dan terapi musik terhadap pasien anak yang dirawat di rumah sakit. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukan art therapy dan terapi musik secara signifikan dapat menurunkan tingkat nyeri pada pasien.…”