A pilot study of improved psychological distress with art therapy in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy

Abstract

Background Art therapy may improve the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of individuals for a variety of purposes. It remains understudied and underutilized in cancer care. We sought to determine the ability of a pilot art therapy program to improve the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of cancer patients. Methods Chemotherapy-recipients, age 18 years and older, diagnosed with any type or stage of cancer, were considered eligible to participate in this single arm, pilot study, using four visual analog scales (VAS) with visually-similar, 0–10 scale (10 being worst) thermometers assessing: 1) pain, 2) emotional distress, 3) depression, and 4) anxiety. Participants were asked to complete all 4 metrics, pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at 48–72 h follow-up, after an hour-long art therapy session. Primary endpoints included post-intervention changes from baseline in the 4 VAS metrics. Results Through a reasonable pilot sample (n = 50), 44% had breast cancer, 22% gastrointestinal cancers, 18% hematological malignancies, and 20% had other malignancies. A decrease in all VAS measures was noted immediately post-treatment but remained low only for pain and depression, not for emotional distress and anxiety upon follow up. There was a significant difference between the depression VAS scores of Hispanics (32%) compared to non-Hispanics (56%) (p = 0.009) at baseline. However, compared to non-Hispanics, Hispanics exhibited higher levels of depression after art therapy (P = 0.03) and during the follow-up intervals (p = 0.047). Conclusion Art therapy improved the emotional distress, depression, anxiety and pain among all cancer patients, at all time points. While depression scores were higher pre-intervention for Hispanic patients, Hispanic patients were noted to derive a greater improvement in depression scores from art therapy over time, compared to non-Hispanics patients. Discovering simple, effective, therapeutic interventions, to aid in distress relief in cancer patients, is important for ensuring clinical efficacy of treatment and improved quality of life.

The influence of visual objects and music on anxiety levels of breast cancer patients scheduled to experience chemotherapy for the first time: a prospective randomized clinical study

“…To the best of our knowledge, this is the rst study to investigate the in uence of waiting room ambiance on the anxiety level of non-metastatic cancer patients before chemotherapy. Other studies have investigated metastatic patient groups, implemented interventions directly on the patients and not the waiting environment, or the anxiety during chemotherapy was investigated [32,45]. In conclusion, we have concluded that visual and audial interventions in waiting rooms may reduce the anxiety level of patients scheduled to experience chemotherapy for the rst time.…”

Creative Art Therapy for Improving Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Patients with Stroke: A Quasi-Interventional Study

“…Further, it is a novel therapy that utilizes the creative process to help individuals explore their feelings and emotions, providing new methods to gain personal insight and develop coping skills ( Malik, 2021 ). This therapy is reported to be highly effective in elevating the psychological burdens of a wide range of chronic diseases, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and stroke ( Elimimian et al, 2020 ; Kline, 2016 ; Newland et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Overall, art therapy is recognized as an intervention that enhances the mind–body connection and, in turn, reduces the levels of physical and psychological stressors ( Elimimian et al, 2020 ; Malchiodi, 2003 , 2020 ; Newland et al, 2020 ). Mind–body-related interventions have been described in a wide range of health-related psychology disciplines, such as sports psychology ( Henning Schöttke & Giabbiconi, 2015 ; Schöttke et al, 2020 ), medical psychology, and spiritual psychology ( Lusebrink, 2010 ; Silverstone, 2009 ; Winkelman & Sessa, 2019 ).…”

Long-Term Survivors of Breast Cancer: A Growing Population

“…Providing integrated care that is directed to the overall wellness of the patient, maximizes the potential to increase patient satisfaction, increase patient medical compliance, and preserve quality of life [85][86][87]. Interestingly, it has also been found that ethnic minority groups, who typically report poorer quality of life and worse distress after diagnosis, may derive more acute benefit from integrated modalities like art therapy [88]. It is also of importance to note that effective psychosocial support programs have been shown to be significantly associated with favorable clinical outcomes [84,[89][90][91][92].…”