Effects of Drawing Therapy on Pediatric Oncology Patients: A Systematic Review

Nothing less than a creative triumph: a study of children admitted to hospital for serious somatic illness or injury and their experience of art therapy

Background

Hospitalization can be an extremely distressing experience for seriously ill and injured children. Art therapy has a well-established clinical history, and recent research has begun to demonstrate its effectiveness in somatic pediatric wards. Descriptive and statistical research indicates that art therapy can alleviate anxiety and fear, improve mood, and enhance communication among children, parents, and healthcare professionals. This study aims to enhance our understanding of the specific elements of art therapy that facilitate a connection with the healthier aspects of the self.

Method

A total of 12 hospitalized children, aged 4-12, participated in an art therapy session led by a certified art therapist. Verbalizations during the sessions were recorded, and subsequent observations were synchronized with verbatim transcriptions of audio recordings. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to identify relevant patterns of meaning.

Findings

The study identified four significant dimensions of the children's experiences during art therapy: (1) The child feels safe, (2) The child becomes a competent artist, bursting with creativity, (3) The healthy child emerges, and (4) The child achieves something beyond its limits - a triumph.

Discussion

The active ingredients contributing to effective art therapy include the stimulation of creativity, guided art-making with scaffolding support, task variation, granting children control over the artistic process, encouragement of free expression, and the display of positive regard. This study also delves into the therapeutic alliance, emphasizing its role in facilitating children's learning, self-expression, concentration, and the creation of work they take pride in. Additionally, certain psychotherapy-like interactions, such as control-mastery dynamics, were observed. Nevertheless, more extensive research with larger sample sizes is required to draw broader conclusions.

Reducing anxiety and improving self-acceptance in children and adolescents with osteosarcoma through group drawing art therapy

Purpose

This study explored the effect of group drawing art therapy (GDAT) on anxiety and self-acceptance in children and adolescents with osteosarcoma.

Methods

Using a randomized experimental study design, 40 children and adolescents with osteosarcoma who were treated in our hospital from December 2021 to December 2022 were selected as the research objects, including 20 in the intervention group and 20 in the control group. The control group received routine care for osteosarcoma, while the intervention group participated in eight sessions of GDAT, twice a week, 90-100 min each, in addition to routine care for osteosarcoma. A screening for children's anxiety disorders (SCARED) and a self-acceptance questionnaire (SAQ) were used to evaluate the patients before and after the intervention.

Results

After 8 weeks of GDAT, the SCARED total score in the intervention group was 11.30 ± 8.603, and that in the control group was 22.10 ± 11.534. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (t = -3.357, P < 0.05). In the intervention group, the SAQ total score was 48.25 ± 4.204, with self-acceptance and self-evaluation factor scores of 24.40 ± 2.521 and 23.85 ± 2.434, respectively. In the control group, the SAQ total score was 42.20 ± 4.047; the self-acceptance factor score was 21.20 ± 3.350 and that of the self-evaluation factor was 21.00 ± 2.224. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant (t = 4.637, P < 0.001; t = 3.413, P < 0.05; t = 3.866, P < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusion

Group drawing art therapy can reduce anxiety and improve the levels of self-acceptance and self-evaluation in children and adolescents with osteosarcoma.

Clinical Analysis on the Effects of Tandospirone Citrate Assisted by Drawing Therapy on Medication Compliance and Sleep Quality in Patients with Anxiety Disorders

Objective

To explore the clinical effects of tandospirone citrate assisted by drawing therapy (DT) on medication compliance and sleep quality in patients with anxiety disorders.

Methods

A total of 128 patients with anxiety disorders treated in the hospital were enrolled between January 2020 and January 2022. According to the random number table method, they were divided into the observation group (n = 64) and the control group (n = 64). The control group was treated with tandospirone citrate, while the observation group was additionally treated with DT. The clinical curative effect and medication compliance after treatment, scores of Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire-Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) before and after treatment were compared between the two groups. The occurrence of adverse reactions during treatment was recorded.

Results

After treatment, the total response rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (96.88% vs 86.94%) (P < 0.05). After treatment, scores of HAMA and PSQI in both groups were decreased, which were lower in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, medication compliance in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, scores of environmental factors, social relations, physiological function, and psychological status in both groups were increased, which were higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05). During treatment, there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

DT-assisted tandospirone citrate can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of patients with anxiety disorders, improve medication compliance, sleep quality, and quality of life, and have a certain degree of safety.