Role of Arts Therapy in Patients with Breast and Gynecological Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The Effect of Art Therapy on Pain, Emesis, Anxiety, and Quality of Life in Operated Breast Cancer Patients: Randomized Control Trials

Background: Breast cancer symptoms related to the disease nature and treatments develop and the quality of life of patients is impacted. Art therapy improves the quality of life by increasing symptom control and treatment compliance. This study aimed to determine the effect of art therapy on pain, emesis, anxiety, and quality of life in operated breast cancer patients. Methods: This experimental research was carried out with a total of 60 patients, 30 in the intervention group (IG) and 30 in the control group (CG), who received treatment in the Oncology Center of Sivas Cumhuriyet University Practice and Research Hospital. A Personal Information Form, the Pain Intensity-Visual Analog Scale, the Rhodes Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale-General (FACT-G) were used to collect research data. Within the scope of the research, IG received chemotherapy sessions for 10 weeks (five sessions) with 2-week intervals by an art specialist in marbling, accompanied by ney music. CG received no intervention. The obtained data were uploaded to the SPSS (22.0) program and statistical analysis was performed. Results: The decrease in the pain, nausea-vomiting, and anxiety levels of the patients in IG and the increase in their quality of life after the art therapy accompanied by ney music were statistically significant compared with the first follow-up (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant change in the quality of life of the patients in the CG, whereas their pain, nausea-vomiting, and anxiety scores increased. According to the comparison between IG and CG, there was a significant difference in favor of IG in terms of pain severity, quality of life, emesis, and anxiety levels (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The art of marbling with ney was effective in operated breast cancer patients experiencing pain, emesis, and anxiety and improved their quality of life. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT05666583.

Pain through the perspective of art and creativity: insights from the Unmasking Pain project

People struggle to tell their story of living with pain and when they do it is articulated in a way that may not be understood, heard or taken seriously. Unmasking Pain is an artist-led project that explored creative approaches to tell stories of life with pain. The project was led by a dance theatre company that specialises in storytelling and emotional experiences for players and audiences. The project involved artists and people living with ongoing pain co-creating activities and environments to curiously explore "oneself", through imagination and creative expression. This article discusses insights and perspectives emerging from the project. The project revealed the power of art to make-sense of oneself with or without pain, and how art facilitates expression of complex inner experience and personal stories. People described Unmasking Pain as "explorative joy despite pain", and "a new set of rules" that contrasts with those experienced during clinical encounters. We discuss how art has the potential to improve clinical encounters and promote health and well-being, and whether artist-led activities are an intervention, therapy, or something else. Pain rehabilitation specialists from the project described Unmasking Pain as "freeing-up thinking", allowing conceptual thought beyond the biopsychosocial model of pain. We conclude that art has the potential to shift people living with pain from "I can't do, I am not willing to do it" to "Perhaps I can, I'll give it a go, I enjoyed".

Nonpharmacological interventions for cancer-related fatigue: A literature review

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a prevalent and debilitating side effect of cancer treatment that can persist for years posttreatment, significantly impacting patients' quality of life. Given the limited efficacy of pharmacological treatments, nonpharmacological interventions are gaining attention as effective management strategies for CRF. This review aims to provide an overview of the most common nonpharmacological interventions for CRF management, including exercise therapies, psychosocial interventions, sensory art therapy, light therapy, nutritional management, traditional Chinese medicine therapies, sleep management, combination therapy, and health education. By synthesizing the findings of high-quality literature, this review presents the definition of each therapy, along with their advantages and disadvantages in treating patients with CRF. Additionally, it addresses the role of oncology nurses in the nonpharmacological management of CRF. In summary, this review aims to inform oncology nurses about the prevalent nonpharmacological interventions for CRF and explore their clinical application to facilitate the development of effective CRF management strategies in clinical practice.

Participatory action research intervention for improving sleep in inpatients with cancer

AIM

To design and implement a plan to improve oncohaematological patients' sleep.

BACKGROUND

The hospital environment can compromise inpatients' sleep, negatively impacting on health outcomes and patient satisfaction.

DESIGN AND METHOD

The improvement plan was designed in collaboration with 18 professionals, 3 patients and 3 accompanying relatives. The study designed followed the SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines. Outcome variables were self-reported patient satisfaction regarding sleep, measured using a 30-item, ad hoc questionnaire and a 10-point visual analogue scale, completed by 318 oncohaematological inpatients (pre-intervention n = 120, post-intervention, n = 198) in a comprehensive cancer centre in Spain from 2017 to 2019.

RESULTS

Overall, 61.5% (n = 190) of the inpatients reported sleep alterations, and 92.6% reported interruptions in their nightly sleep. Half slept less than 6 h/night, but 58.0% said they felt rested upon waking, despite the interruptions. These outcomes were similar before and after the intervention. The improvement plan identified four domains for work (professionals, care procedures, instruments/environment and patients/relatives), 10 areas for improvement and 35 actions for implementation. However, overall sleep worsened significantly, from 6.73 to 6.06 on the 10-point scale. The intervention significantly improved variables related to professionals' behaviour, including noise during the shift change, conversations at the control desk and the use of corridor lights. Sleep disturbances were mainly caused by pain/discomfort and infuser alarms, and collectively they decreased significantly after the intervention (p = .008). However, overall sleep worsened significantly, from 6.73 to 6.06 on the 10-point scale.

CONCLUSIONS

Pain, clinical devices and noise made by professionals are the main causes of sleep disturbances. Involving professionals in decision-making to improve patients' sleep have a positive impact on noise levels.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This study proposes new strategies for improving sleep by increasing staff awareness and changing attitudes towards patients' sleep. Nurses should be involved in addressing sleep disturbances during hospitalization.

Art-based interventions for women's mental health in pregnancy and postpartum: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

OBJECTIVE

Pregnant and postpartum women are vulnerable to psychological problems with a high estimated prevalence. To date, there is no meta-analysis that specifically assesses the effectiveness of art-based interventions to improve mental health in pregnant and postpartum women. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of art-based interventions when delivered to pregnant and postpartum women.

METHODS

Systematic literature searches were conducted from the inception to 6 March 2022 in seven English databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register, CINAHL, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) reporting art-based interventions targeting the improvement of women's mental health in pregnancy and postpartum were included. Cochrane risk of bias tool was applied to assess evidence quality.

RESULTS

Twenty-one randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving 2,815 participants were eligible for data analysis. A pooled analysis demonstrated that art-based interventions significantly reduced anxiety (SMD = -0.75, 95% CI = -1.10 to -0.40) and depression symptoms (MD = -0.79, 95% CI = -1.30 to -0.28). However, art-based interventions did not alleviate stress symptoms as expected in our findings. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that intervention implementation time, intervention duration and music selected by the participants vs. not could have influence on the efficacy of art-based intervention for anxiety.

CONCLUSION

In perinatal mental health, art-based interventions may be effective in alleviating anxiety and depression. In the future, we still need to conduct high-quality RCTs to validate our findings and enrich clinical application of art-based interventions.

Art Therapy in Advanced Cancer. A Mapping Review of the Evidence

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The benefits of arts in improving well-being in end-of-life patients have been stated by the WHO. To inspire clinical practice and future research, we performed a mapping review of the current evidence on the effectiveness of art therapy interventions in stage III and IV cancer patients and their relatives.

RECENT FINDINGS

We identified 14 studies. Benefits reported by the authors were grouped as improved emotional and spiritual condition, symptom relief, perception of well-being, satisfaction, and helpfulness. As a body of evidence, notable limitations were observed: Only 1 study was a randomized controlled trial (RCT), and there was heterogeneity in the interventions and outcome measures. This mapping review highlights the evidence available on the effectiveness of art therapy in advanced cancer, which remains limited and presents specific challenges. It also provides a visual representation of the reported benefits, encouraging further and more rigorous investigation.

Trends in Research on Art Therapy Indexed in the Web of Science: A Bibliometric Analysis

Aim: Despite the increase in international research in art therapy, few studies have been developed with a bibliometric approach which describe the situation regarding this area of knowledge. Thus, the aim of this study is to describe and contextualize international scientific production in the visual arts modality in the context of artistic therapies, to offer a broader and more in-depth vision of the structure of this area of knowledge through of a bibliometric analysis of the publications indexed in the core collection of the Web of Science. Methods: This is a retrospective, exploratory and descriptive, cross-sectional study to analyze the bibliographic data retrieved from the databases of the core collection. The analysis parameters included the data corresponding to the production according to type of document, country, journal, and institution. In addition, the main lines of research were located and classified and the subject matter of the most cited articles in each of them was summarized. Four periods were selected, between 1994 and 2020, to facilitate the thematic analysis and offer an evolutionary perspective of art therapy research. Results: A total of 563 works were published, in 250 journals, in the 63 years between 1958, when the first document was published, and April 2021. The annual growth rate was 7.3% with a mean average of 8.7 publications per year, and 83.13% of the published works were articles. A total of 1,269 authors from 56 countries were counted. The mean number of citations per document was 5.6 and the mean number of citations per document and year was 0.6. The main research domains were psychology and/or rehabilitation and the highest production on this topic was concentrated in only three journals. In general, a high degree of variability was observed in the study topics and numerous theoretical and methodological articles. The most used visual arts modalities were in the main drawing, painting and photography. Conclusion: This work did not find previous existence of any bibliometric analysis on the international scientific production in art therapy. In general terms, there has been a substantial growth in the number of publications on the subject over the last decade. However, this research area does not appear to have peaked, but, on the contrary, is still growing and progressing despite its long history in clinical practice.

Psychotherapy with Music Intervention Improves Anxiety, Depression and the Redox Status in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of psychotherapy with music intervention (PMI) on anxiety, depression, redox status, and inflammation in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT). This monocentric randomized clinical trial recruited 60 patients who had a breast cancer operation and were undergoing postoperative RT. Eligible patients were randomized (1:1) in two groups: the control group (CG) received treatment as usual (n = 30), i.e., RT alone; the intervention group (PMI) received RT and psychotherapy with music intervention (n = 30), which was delivered in a group setting. Five patients were excluded after randomization. Assessments were performed at baseline (T0), at the end of RT (T1), and three months after the end of RT (T2). The main objectives of the study were the assessment of anxiety/depression, plasma glutathione (GSH), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the two arms of the study. Our findings revealed a positive effect of PMI on anxiety, depression, resilience, and quality of life. Furthermore, a positive effect of PMI on redox status was found for the first time. Thus, in the PMI group, we found a significant increase of GSH (mean change 2.2 95%, CI 0.7 to 3.7) and a significant reduction of TBARS (mean change -1.1 95%, CI -1.8 to -0.3) at T2 vs. T0.