Mind - Body Medicine + Oncology
Effectiveness of group art therapy on quality of life in paediatric patients with cancer: A randomized controlled trial
Deldar Morad Abdulah a Bayar Mohammed Omar
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 paediatricoutpatients 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.
Source : Complementary Therapies in Medicine
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Internet-Delivered Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Robert Zachariae Ali Amidi Malene F Damholdt Cecilie D R ClausenJesper Dahlgaard Holly Lord Frances P Thorndike Lee M Ritterband
Abstract
Background
Insomnia is two to three times more prevalent in cancer survivors than in the general population, where it is estimated to be 10% to 20%. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended treatment for chronic insomnia, but meeting survivor needs remains a challenge. Internet-delivered CBT-I (iCBT-I) has been shown efficacious in otherwise healthy adults. We tested the efficacy of iCBT-I in breast cancer survivors with clinically significant sleep disturbance.
Methods
Women from a national sample of Danish breast cancer survivors who experienced clinically significant sleep disturbance were randomly allocated to iCBT-I or waitlist control (55:45). The fully automated iCBT-I program consisted of six cores. Online measures of insomnia severity, sleep quality, and fatigue were collected at baseline, postintervention (nine weeks), and follow-up (15 weeks). Online sleep diaries were completed over two-week periods pre- and postintervention. Intention-to-treat analyses (time × group interactions) were conducted with mixed linear models and corrected for multiple outcomes. All statistical tests were two-sided.
Results
A total of 255 women were randomly allocated to iCBT-I (n = 133) or waitlist control (n = 122). Statistically significant (P ≤ .02) time × group interactions were found for all sleep-related outcomes from pre- to postintervention. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) ranged from 0.33 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.06 to 0.61) for wake after sleep onset to 1.17 (95% CI = 0.87 to 1.47) for insomnia severity. Improvements were maintained for outcomes measured at follow-up (d = 0.66–1.10).
Conclusions
iCBT-I appears to be effective in breast cancer survivors, with additional benefit in terms of reduced fatigue. This low-cost treatment could be incorporated in cancer rehabilitation programs.
Source : Journal of the National Cancer Institute
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A Randomized Controlled Trial for the Effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Guided Imagery as Anxiety Reducing Interventions in Breast and Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy
Andreas Charalambous,1 Margarita Giannakopoulou,2 Evangelos Bozas,2 and Lefkios Paikousis3
Abstract
Objective. To test the effectiveness of guided imagery (GI) and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) as stress reducing interventions in patients with prostate and breast cancer who undergo chemotherapy.
Methods. Patients were randomly assigned to either the control group or the intervention group (PMR and GI). Patients were observed for a total duration of 3 weeks and assessed with the SAS and BECK-II questionnaires for anxiety and depression, respectively, in addiotion to two biological markers (saliva cortisol and saliva amylase) (trial registration number: NCT01275872).
Results. 256 patients were registered and 236 were randomly assigned. In total 104 were randomised to the control group and 104 to the intervention group. Intervention’s mean anxiety score and depression score changes were significantly different compared to the control’s (b=-29.4, p<0.001. b=-29.4,p<0.001 resp). Intervention group’s cortisol levels before the intervention (0.30+0.25) gradually decreased up to week 3 (0.16+0.18), whilst the control group’s cortisol levels before the intervention (0.21+0.22) gradually increased up to week 3 (0.44+0.35). The same interaction appears for the Amylase levels (p<0.001).
Conclusions. The findings showed that patients with prostate and breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy treatment can benefit from PMR and GI sessions to reduce their anxiety and depression.
Source : Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
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