Group-led creative writing and behavioural health in cancer: a randomised clinical trial

Nesterova, Darya; Zhu, Junjia; Kramer, Courtney; Vasekar, Monali; Truica, Cristina I.; Joshi, Aditya; Hayes, Michael; Kessler, Jolene; Saunders, Erika F.H.; Joshi, Monika

doi:10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002463

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Creative writing may also improve mood in cancer patients, although not on all outcome measures (Fig. 4) [113].…”

Section: Types Of Creating Writing Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

If Art Were a Drug: Implications for Parkinson’s Disease

Gros,

Spee,

Bloem

et al. 2024

Journal of Parkinson’s Disease

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Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic and complex neurodegenerative disorder. Conventional pharmacological or surgical therapies alone are often insufficient at adequately alleviating disability. Moreover, there is an increasing shift toward person-centered care, emphasizing the concept of “living well”. In this context, arts-based interventions offer great promise, functioning as platforms for creative expression that could provide novel mechanisms to promote quality of life. Here we present a qualitative review of arts-based interventions for PD, including music, dance, drama, visual arts, and creative writing. For each, we discuss their applications to PD, proposed mechanisms, evidence from prior studies, and upcoming research. We also provide examples of community-based projects. Studies to date have had relatively small sample sizes, but their findings suggest that arts-based interventions have the potential to reduce motor and non-motor symptoms. They may also empower people with PD and thereby address issues of self-esteem, foster personal problem-solving, and augment holistic well-being. However, there is a paucity of research determining optimal dosage and symptom-specific benefits of these therapies. If art were a drug, we would have to perform appropriately powered studies to provide these data before incorporating it into routine patient care. We therefore call for further research with properly designed studies to offer more rigorous and evidence-based support for what we intuitively think is a highly promising approach to support individuals living with PD. Given the possible positive impact on people’s lives, arts-based approaches merit further development and, if proven to be effective, systematic inclusion within integrated management plans.

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“…Creative writing may also improve mood in cancer patients, although not on all outcome measures (Fig. 4) [113].…”

Section: Types Of Creating Writing Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

If Art Were a Drug: Implications for Parkinson’s Disease

Gros,

Spee,

Bloem

et al. 2024

Journal of Parkinson’s Disease

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“…(Sampson & Visser, 2005). While CW in health-related research has been primarily used as an intervention with focus on different outcomes, such as mental health (Williams et al, 2020), mental health in cancer patients (Nesterova et al, 2022; Peckham et al, 2017), improvement in mood (Zhu et al, 2020), and as an educational tool (Cowen et al, 2016; De la Croix et al, 2011; Kerr, 2010), it is less common as a methodological approach (Fleming et al, 2004; Hurt et al, 2019; Owens, 2021; Sion et al, 2020; Thomas et al, 2020; Welch et al, 2018). To our knowledge, CW has not been used as a methodological tool to apply to an oral interview situation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Scent Trail: Arts-Informed Method Development to Support Perception and Expression of Olfactory Experiences in Aromatherapy of Women With Gynecological Cancers

Czakert,

Blakeslee,

Pirmorady

et al. 2023

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

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Background: Talking about personal olfactory experiences is challenging because subjective, often latent reactions to odor are difficult to perceive and express. In qualitative empirical research on the effects of Aromatherapy (AT), this issue needs to be considered in data collection. Therefore, we developed a new data-collection method to support participants in perceiving and articulating their own olfactory experiences. The method development was embedded in the background study arth4WOMEN about AT for women with gynecological cancers. Method: The data-collection method was developed in five steps inspired by A rts-informed R esearch (AIR) and Creative Writing (CW). A workshop on scent and writing was conceptualized for an existing CW course ( n = 8) (step 1). The findings were condensed (step 2) into the new data-collection method called the Olfactory Journey (OLFJ), then pilot tested, discussed with qualitative research experts and adapted (step 3). The final version of the OLFJ was carried out with 15 participants of the background study arth4WOMEN as one part of a qualitative interview concept (step 4), then analyzed via qualitative content analysis (step 5). Results: The analysis of the workshop showed that pictures can be a useful tool to focus on olfactory experiences and find words to express them. Thus, in the OLFJ inner visuals were stimulated by an olfactory trigger and brought into focus through a guided instruction. The inner visuals were used as a tool to talk about the olfactory experiences. The resulting descriptions were characterized by many pictorial associations and marked by contrasts and comparisons. Discussion: The OLFJ as a data-collection method has potential to support participants in their verbal expressions of their olfactory experiences. The inclusion of creative art forms in the development process of the OLFJ was helpful and should be encouraged in future research. Further research is needed to test OLFJ validity and reliability.

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