The role of emotional processing in art therapy (REPAT) for breast cancer patients.

Emotional awareness and acceptance of emotion are associated with improved health in breast cancer (BC) patients. Art therapy (AT) uses visual art-making for expression and communication and has been shown to reduce psychological and physical symptoms in individuals with cancer. A major objective of AT is to encourage increases in emotion processing; however, few studies examine these changes. Purpose: To examine the effect of an eight-week AT group on emotion processing as a mechanism of symptom reduction in women with BC. Design: Randomized clinical trial. Sample: Twenty women diagnosed with breast cancer whom had completed primary treatment. Methods: Participants were randomized to participate in eight-weeks of AT or sham AT, which was a mandala coloring group. Participants answered questionnaires before and after the intervention. We used a Cohen's D calculator for effect sizes and a t-test to examine group differences. Findings: Statistically significant between-group differences in emotional awareness and acceptance of emotion were found after the intervention. We found large effect sizes between groups and over time in acceptance of emotion, emotional awareness and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: We conclude that emotion processing in AT may be a potential mechanism reducing depression and somatic symptoms in cancer patients. Implications for Psychosocial Providers: Art Therapy is a feasible intervention to increase emotional processing. A larger study is required to further examine its effect on psychological and physical symptoms in breast cancer patients.

[The influence of medical art therapy on quality of life and compliance of medical treatment of patients with advanced heart failure].

BACKGROUND: Medical art therapy (MAT) enables people who are medically ill to express their feelings through art. In heart failure (HF) depression and anxiety are common. AIM: To evaluate the influence of guided group MAT on the quality of Life and compliance to medical therapy of patients with advanced HF. METHODS: Twenty advanced HF patients were randomly divided into two groups: ten in the intervention group (A) and ten in the control group (B). First and last visits were individual. During these visits the Ulman, (a MAT diagnostic tool), the Minnesota Living with HF and compliance questionnaires were recorded. Both groups met weekly for 6 weeks. A MAT therapist guided group A to express their feelings using art material. Group B met for a routine clinical visit only. RESULTS: Baseline Ulman, compliance and Minnesota scores were similar amongst the two groups. By the end of the study, the Ulman score improved significantly in group A compared to group B (95 +/- 10 to 82 +/- 14 p = 0.0006 vs. 86 +/- 10 to 81 +/- 12 p = 0.5) as was the compliance score (29 +/- 11 to 33 +/- 13 p = 0.05 vs. 36 +/- 5 to 366 p = 0.9). In group A, the Minnesota score improved significantly in 7 patients and did not change in 3, while in group B it improved in 2, did not change in 6 and worsened in 2. CONCLUSIONS: MAT improves the quality of life and compliance in advanced HF patients and it is recommended that it be integrated as part of the therapeutic arsenal in every HF clinic.

Value of exercise echocardiography in rheumatic mitral stenosis with and without significant mitral regurgitation.

Patients with rheumatic mitral valve disease (n = 48) underwent treadmill stress echocardiography and were classified as those with mitral stenosis (n = 24) or those with mitral regurgitation with mild mitral stenosis (n = 24). Despite marked differences in mitral valve area (1.1 +/- 0.3 vs 2.1 +/- 0.6 cm(2), respectively; p <0.0001), systolic tricuspid gradients were similar both at rest (37 +/- 11 vs 37 +/- 13 mm Hg) and at peak exercise (60 +/- 16 vs 55 +/- 13 mm Hg, respectively). Following stress echocardiography, an invasive procedure or modification of medical treatment was performed or recommended in 51% of the study patients.