The efficacy of creative arts therapies to enhance emotional expression, spirituality, and psychological well-being of newly diagnosed Stage I and Stage II breast cancer patients: A preliminary study

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Abstract

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women in the United States. The psychological impact of the disease may include adjustment disorders, depression, and anxiety and may generate feelings of fear, anger, guilt, and emotional repression. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the efficacy of a complementary creative arts therapy intervention to enhance emotional expression, spirituality, and psychological well-being in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Thirty-nine women with Stage I and Stage II breast cancer were randomly assigned to an experimental group who received individual creative arts therapy interventions or a control group of delayed treatment. A series of analyses of covariance were used to analyze the results, which indicated the intervention was not effective in enhancing the emotional approach coping style of emotional expression or level of spirituality of subjects in this sample. However, participation in the creative arts therapy intervention enhanced psychological well-being by decreasing negative emotional states and enhancing positive ones of experimental group subjects. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Section snippets

Participants

The sample of this preliminary study consisted of 39 women from a southern college city and the surrounding rural areas. Participants were referred to the study by their private physician, hospitals, or the American Cancer Society support network. In order to qualify for this study, the women had to be 18 years or older and have been diagnosed with Stage I or Stage II breast cancer within 12 months prior to entering the study. The majority of the women in this study were Caucasian with four

Results

A series of analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to examine the effects of the individual creative arts therapy interventions on emotional expression, as measured by the Emotional Approach Coping Scale-emotional expression subscale, spirituality, as measured by the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory—Revised, psychological well-being as measured by the Profile of Mood States while controlling the covariates (i.e., POMS pretest total or relevant sub-scales scores), and clinical

Discussion

The results of the study concur with those that utilized group psychotherapy interventions (including supportive-expressive group therapy) on Stage I and Stage II breast cancer patients and reported decreases in tension–anxiety, depression–dejection, and anger–hostility scores post treatment (Antoni et al., 2001, Fawzy et al., 1990, Hosaka et al., 2000, Montazeri et al., 2000, Spiegel et al., 1999). Fawzy et al. (1990) also reported decreased levels of confusion–bewilderment and improved

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