Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a single group session based on art therapy (AT) for adult cancer patients to reduce anxiety and distress before anticancer treatment. Methods: A non-randomized pre-post study design was adopted. Sixty-two patients took part in one of twenty-seven “one-off” sessions held over a four-month period. Sixty-six patients, who simply received routine medical treatment, served as the control group (CG). Results: The intervention was appropriate to patients’ needs and feasible in the context of their routine medical care. In contrast to the CG, the intervention group(IG) participants demonstrated a decrease in symptoms of anxiety, drowsiness and tiredness. Conclusions: The intervention proved suitable to the medical routine of patients’ care. The clinical implications of the AT protocol and future research aimed at testing it vs. a different type of psychosocial intervention in a randomized controlled study are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Arts and Health |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Accepted/In press - Jan 1 2019 |
Keywords
- anxiety
- art therapy
- Cancer patients
- chemotherapy
- psychosomatic distress symptoms
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)