Patient perceptions of a 1-h art-making experience during blood and marrow transplant treatment

Abstract

Patients with various forms of cancer receiving blood and marrow transplant (BMT) treatment at an outpatient clinic develop chemotherapy-related symptoms and an increased desire to use complementary and alternative medicine in order to address these symptoms. Art-making offers an inexpensive way to pass time and relieve symptoms during long hours in treatment. Twenty-one BMT patients painted a tile and participated in research. Researchers used semi-structured interviews to understand patients' experiences with art-making. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded independently by researchers who met to agree on themes. Ten themes emerged from the data including, meaningful activity (32.2%), expression (18.7%), passing time (13.2%), BMT process (12.1%), social outlet (8.1%), therapy-related symptoms (7.3%), negative aspects of painting (5.9%) and encouragement to paint (2.6%). The results of this study revealed that art-making experience can provide patients a meaningful activity during treatment and an outlet to express their feelings.

The beneficial attributes of visual art-making in cancer care: An integrative review

“…() and Mische Lawson, Cline, et al. () also draw attention to some of the negative aspects participants discussed. This involved the “stress, anxiety or frustration” (Mische Lawson, Glennon, et al., , p. 6) that participants can experience with themselves while painting, and also not being happy with the results of their efforts.…”

“…; Mische Lawson, Glennon, et al. ; Mische Lawson, Cline, French & Ismael ; Mische Lawson, Glennon, et al. .)…”

“…Art‐making programmes can offer participants an opportunity to reflect on their personal identity and their circumstances through creatively exploring their realities, and expressing themselves artistically (Heiney & Darr‐Hope, ; Heiney et al., ; Mische Lawson, Cline, et al., ; Mische Lawson, Glennon, et al., ; Predeger, ; Sabo & Thibeault, ). Art‐making can open up new creative possibilities (Ferszt et al., ).…”

“…It provides a vehicle for story‐telling, expressing new and often intense emotions associated with the cancer experience, as well as the opportunity to have this expression validated by others (Heiney et al., ). The importance and meaning of creative expression, and the ability of art‐making to reflect emotions or thoughts, life experiences and self‐identity was also highlighted (Mische Lawson, Cline, et al., ; Mische Lawson, Glennon, et al., ; Predeger, ).…”

“…In a later study, Mische Lawson et al. () found that “a few patients used the activity of painting a tile to pass the time” (p. 5).…”