Effectiveness of group art therapy on quality of life in paediatric patients with cancer: A randomized controlled trial. (December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Abdulah, Deldar Morad; Abdulla, Bayar Mohammed Omar
• Is Part Of: Complementary therapies in medicine. Volume 41(2018)
• Page Start: 180
• Page End: 185
• Publication Date: 2018-12
• Subjects: Art therapy -- Painting -- Cancer -- Children -- Handcrafting; Alternative medicine -- Periodicals; Complementary Therapies -- Periodicals; Médecines parallèles -- Périodiques; Thérapeutique -- Périodiques; Alternative medicine; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 615.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2018.09.020
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0965-2299

Abstract

Highlights: Cancer children experience adverse effects. Investigators use Art therapy for symptoms severity. Art therapy improved the overall QoL. Abstract: Objectives: Children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy experience many adverse effects. The effectiveness of painting- and handcrafting-based art therapy on the various dimensions of health-related quality of life in paediatric outpatients previously diagnosed with heterogeneity of malignancy was evaluated in the present study. Design: In an experimental randomized controlled trial, a total of 60 children aged 7–13 years previously diagnosed with malignancy together with their parents were assigned randomly either to an experimental (30 patients) or a control group (30 patients) in 2017 in Iraq. The patients in the experimental group participated in painting and handcrafting group art therapy (creative art therapy) conducted by a professional fine artist for a one-month period. The dimensions of health-related quality of life in both study groups were measured through the KIDSCREEN-10 Index after project completion. Results: The patients in the experimental group were significantly more physically active and energetic (P < 0.001), were less depressed and emotional, and had fewer stressful feelings (P = 0.004). Moreover, they enjoyed their social and leisure time more and participated more in social activities (P = 0.003) in addition to an improvement in their relationships with other children (P = 0.043) and had better overall health status (P < 0.001). However, the children's overall interaction with other children, parents, and healthcare providers (P = 0.074) and their perception of cognitive capacity for school performance (P = 0.257) were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that exposure to painting- and handcrafting-based art therapy improves the overall health-related quality of life in children with cancer.