Mindfulness‐based arts interventions for cancer care: A systematic review of the effects on wellbeing and fatigue

Abstract

Objective Upon receiving a cancer diagnosis, life irrevocably changes and complex experiences of emotional distress often occur. There is a growing interest in mindfulness‐based arts interventions (MBAIs) to ameliorate the distress many patients experience. Our review objective was to synthesize the evidence on the effectiveness of MBAIs on psychological wellbeing and fatigue. Method Relevant quantitative articles were identified through a systematic search of the grey literature and online databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, Art Full Text, ART bibliographies Modern, PsycINFO, Scopus, and EMBASE. Two independent reviewers screened titles/abstracts against predetermined inclusion criteria, read full‐text articles for eligibility, conducted quality appraisals of included articles, and extracted pertinent data with a standardized data extraction form. The heterogeneity of the included studies precluded a meta‐analysis and a narrative synthesis of study outcomes was conducted. Results Our systematic search retrieved 4241 titles/abstracts, and 13 studies met our inclusion criteria (eight randomized controlled trials and five quasi‐experiments). Most of the studies focused on patients with cancer (92.3%). There is a growing interest in MBAIs over time and significant heterogeneity in the types of interventions. A significant effect was found on several outcomes that are important in psychosocial oncology: quality of life, psychological state, spiritual wellbeing, and mindfulness. The effect on fatigue was equivocal. Conclusions This novel intervention demonstrates promise for the psychosocial care of patients with cancer. These findings are an essential antecedent to the continued implementation, development, and evaluation of MBAIs in oncology.

Flourishing Aims of Art Museums: A Survey of Art Museum Professionals

“…For instance, many art museums have begun to offer mindfulness-oriented programs to benefit their visitors (e.g., Lehe & Stone, 2018). Psychology has developed several methods of cultivating mindfulness (e.g., see Lomas et al, 2019;Rieger et al, 2020;Taylor et al, 2021 for review) that can be adapted…”

Effect of Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy (MBAT) on Psychological Distress and Spiritual Wellbeing in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

“…Although there is little scientific evidence of MBAT as an intervention, it is slowly gaining recognition as a tool for improving psychosocial health. MBAT benefits include relief from anxiety, depression, fatigue, improvement in physical functioning, [11] psychological state, SWB, mindfulness, [12] and QoL. [11,12] Since in mindfulness and art-making, there is awareness away from the habitual thinking mind, toward heightened feeling and sense, it is suggested that both these processes promote the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.…”

“…MBAT benefits include relief from anxiety, depression, fatigue, improvement in physical functioning, [11] psychological state, SWB, mindfulness, [12] and QoL. [11,12] Since in mindfulness and art-making, there is awareness away from the habitual thinking mind, toward heightened feeling and sense, it is suggested that both these processes promote the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. [13] is induces a relaxation response and reduces psychological distress.…”

“…Although there is little scientific evidence of MBAT as an intervention, it is slowly gaining recognition as a tool for improving psychosocial health. MBAT benefits include relief from anxiety, depression, fatigue, improvement in physical functioning, [ 11 ] psychological state, SWB, mindfulness, [ 12 ] and QoL. [ 11 , 12 ]…”

“…MBAT benefits include relief from anxiety, depression, fatigue, improvement in physical functioning, [ 11 ] psychological state, SWB, mindfulness, [ 12 ] and QoL. [ 11 , 12 ]…”