TY - JOUR
T1 - The effects of art therapy on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in adults with cancer: a systematic literature review
AU - Bosman, J. T.
AU - Bood, Z. M.
AU - Scherer-Rath, M.
AU - Dörr, H.
AU - Christophe, N.
AU - Sprangers, M. A. G.
AU - van Laarhoven, H. W. M.
N1 - Funding Information: This study was funded by The Young Academy, Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences, and the Dutch Cancer Society (grant number 11507). Acknowledgements Availability of data and materials Code availability Publisher Copyright: © 2020, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - Purpose: While there is increasing evidence for the effectiveness of psychosocial support programs for cancer patients, little attention has been paid to creativity or art as a way of addressing their psychological problems and improving quality of life. This review provides an overview of interventional studies that investigate the effects of art therapy interventions on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in adults with cancer. Methods: We conducted a literature review with a systematic search. The databases PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EMBASE were searched for articles on art therapy among adult (18 years and above) cancer patients, published between September 2009 up to September 2019. Search terms were established for each database specifically. A total of 731 publications was assessed for relevance by title and abstract. The remaining 496 articles were examined using three inclusion criteria: interventions were guided by an artist or art therapist, participants were actively involved in the creative process, and anxiety, depression, and/or quality of life were included as outcome measures. Methodological quality of the included studies was appraised using specific checklists. Results: Seven papers met the inclusion criteria. Data was extracted from three non-randomized intervention studies and four randomized controlled trials. All studies used a quantitative design with validated outcome measures. Four articles described positive effects of art therapy on anxiety, depression, or quality of life in adults with cancer. Conclusion: Art therapy could possibly help decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve quality of life in adult cancer patients. However, because of the heterogeneity of the interventions and limited methodological quality of the studies, further research using stringent methods is needed.
AB - Purpose: While there is increasing evidence for the effectiveness of psychosocial support programs for cancer patients, little attention has been paid to creativity or art as a way of addressing their psychological problems and improving quality of life. This review provides an overview of interventional studies that investigate the effects of art therapy interventions on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in adults with cancer. Methods: We conducted a literature review with a systematic search. The databases PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EMBASE were searched for articles on art therapy among adult (18 years and above) cancer patients, published between September 2009 up to September 2019. Search terms were established for each database specifically. A total of 731 publications was assessed for relevance by title and abstract. The remaining 496 articles were examined using three inclusion criteria: interventions were guided by an artist or art therapist, participants were actively involved in the creative process, and anxiety, depression, and/or quality of life were included as outcome measures. Methodological quality of the included studies was appraised using specific checklists. Results: Seven papers met the inclusion criteria. Data was extracted from three non-randomized intervention studies and four randomized controlled trials. All studies used a quantitative design with validated outcome measures. Four articles described positive effects of art therapy on anxiety, depression, or quality of life in adults with cancer. Conclusion: Art therapy could possibly help decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve quality of life in adult cancer patients. However, because of the heterogeneity of the interventions and limited methodological quality of the studies, further research using stringent methods is needed.
KW - Art therapy
KW - Cancer
KW - Oncology
KW - Patients
KW - Quality of life
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096017426&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-05869-0
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-05869-0
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33188476
SN - 0941-4355
VL - 29
SP - 2289
EP - 2298
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
IS - 5
ER -