The impact of art therapy on anxiety and hope in patients with gynecologic cancer undergoing chemotherapy

Clinical research investigating the benefits of art therapy in individuals undergoing cancer treatment is growing, yet study designs focusing on certain cancers such as gynecologic malignancies are lacking. This study aimed to assess the impact of art therapy interventions on both anxiety and hope in patients with gynecologic cancer patients. The study design was prospective and non-randomized. Eligible patients had a primary or recurrent gynecologic malignancy, and were scheduled to receive at least six cycles of chemotherapy over eighteen weeks. Patients completed State Hope and State Anxiety questionnaires before and after each of five art therapy interventions during chemotherapy. Eighteen patients completed the study. Both anxiety and hope significantly improved after each art therapy session except for one. In addition, both anxiety and hope significantly improved between visit 1 and visit 5: State Hope -Visit 1 vs. Visit 5 (35.3 & PLUSMN; 7.8 vs. 40.0 & PLUSMN; 7.2), p = 0.019, effect size = 0.63; State Anxiety -Visit 1 vs. Visit 5 (32.8 & PLUSMN; 9.3 vs. 27.8 & PLUSMN; 8.8), p = 0.038, effect size = -0.53. The results showed art-based interventions facilitated by a board-certified art therapist positively impacted two domains in the quality of life of gynecologic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The attitude of patients, namely, a willingness to accept art therapy, may influence the outcome of the interventions.