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Ronconi L, Biancalani G, Medesi GA, Orkibi H, Testoni I. Death Education for Palliative Psychology: The Impact of a Death Education Course for Italian University Students. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:bs13020182. [PMID: 36829411 PMCID: PMC9952646 DOI: 10.3390/bs13020182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study investigated the effects of a hybrid online course on a group of Italian Master's degree students involved in a European Erasmus+ project. The course was composed of nine modules about death education, palliative psychology and the use of creative arts therapies-such as psychodrama, intermodal psychodrama and photovoice-in the end-of-life-field. The project involved 64 students in the experimental group (who attended the course) and 56 students as the control group. Both groups completed an online questionnaire before and after the delivery of the course and 10 students from the experimental group participated in a focus group at the end of the course. The quantitative analysis revealed that the experimental group students showed lesser levels of perception of death as annihilation, fear of the death and death avoidance, while they increased their levels of death acceptance, creative self-efficacy and attitude toward the care of the dying. Qualitative analysis identified three main themes: the positive impact of the course on death education and end-of-life care; the role of art therapies on death and end-of-life care; and the unhelpful facets of the course. Overall, this intervention changed the perception and the feelings of the students regarding the themes of death and palliative psychology and increased their creative self-efficacy and their interest in working in an end-of-life field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Ronconi
- IT and Statistical Services, Multifunctional Pole of Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-049-8276585
| | - Gianmarco Biancalani
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology (FISPPA), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Georgiana Alexandra Medesi
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology (FISPPA), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Hod Orkibi
- Drama & Health Science Lab, and the Emili Sagol Creative Arts Therapies Research Center, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Ines Testoni
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology (FISPPA), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Drama & Health Science Lab, and the Emili Sagol Creative Arts Therapies Research Center, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
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de Witte M, Orkibi H, Zarate R, Karkou V, Sajnani N, Malhotra B, Ho RTH, Kaimal G, Baker FA, Koch SC. From Therapeutic Factors to Mechanisms of Change in the Creative Arts Therapies: A Scoping Review. Front Psychol 2021; 12:678397. [PMID: 34366998 PMCID: PMC8336579 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Empirical studies in the creative arts therapies (CATs; i.e., art therapy, dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, psychodrama, and poetry/bibliotherapy) have grown rapidly in the last 10 years, documenting their positive impact on a wide range of psychological and physiological outcomes (e.g., stress, trauma, depression, anxiety, and pain). However, it remains unclear how and why the CATs have positive effects, and which therapeutic factors account for these changes. Research that specifically focuses on the therapeutic factors and/or mechanisms of change in CATs is only beginning to emerge. To gain more insight into how and why the CATs influence outcomes, we conducted a scoping review (Nstudies = 67) to pinpoint therapeutic factors specific to each CATs discipline, joint factors of CATs, and more generic common factors across all psychotherapy approaches. This review therefore provides an overview of empirical CATs studies dealing with therapeutic factors and/or mechanisms of change, and a detailed analysis of these therapeutic factors which are grouped into domains. A framework of 19 domains of CATs therapeutic factors is proposed, of which the three domains are composed solely of factors unique to the CATs: “embodiment,” “concretization,” and “symbolism and metaphors.” The terminology used in change process research is clarified, and the implications for future research, clinical practice, and CATs education are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina de Witte
- Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Kennisontwikkeling Vaktherapieën (KenVaK) Research Centre for the Arts Therapies, Heerlen, Netherlands.,Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Stevig Specialized and Forensic Care for Patients With Intellectual Disabilities, Dichterbij, Oostrum, Netherlands
| | - Hod Orkibi
- Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, Emili Sagol Creative Arts Therapies Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Rebecca Zarate
- Division of Expressive Therapies, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Vicky Karkou
- Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, United Kingdom
| | - Nisha Sajnani
- Educational Theatre & Rehabilitation Science Ph.D. Programs, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Bani Malhotra
- Department of Creative Arts Therapies, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Rainbow Tin Hung Ho
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Girija Kaimal
- Department of Creative Arts Therapies, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Felicity A Baker
- Music Therapy Department, Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo, Norway.,Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Sabine C Koch
- SRH University Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department for Creative Arts Therapies and Therapy Science, Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Alfter, Germany
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