The Effect of Art Therapy on Total Laryngectomy Patients

June 11, 2022 updated by: Johanna Czamanski-Cohen, University of Haifa

The Effect of Art Therapy on Psychological and Physiological Health in Total Laryngectomy Patients

Total laryngectomy (TL) patients suffer from a myriad of psychological and physiological difficulties following surgery. One of their main difficulties in communication due to problems in speaking. Art therapy offers an alternative means of communication via visual art making and has been shown to reduce psychological distress in cancer patients. Thus the goal of our study is to examine the effect of participating in a group art therapy session on the psychological and physical well being of TL patients. Our design is a quasi-experimental qualitative study with a pre-post design, collecting data with validated questionnaires and self-reports of the participants.

Study Overview

Status

Withdrawn

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Laryngeal carcinoma (LC) is a cancer that is originated in the larynx which is responsible for three vital functions: the correct passage of air while breathing, closing off the airway during swallowing and voice production. An estimation of around 160,000 new cases of LC are reported worldwide annually, with male predominance. In Israel there are around 200 new cases of LC annually. There are more men than women with the condition and more Arab and Russian immigrants than native Jewish. Laryngeal Cancer can be treated with a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The surgical treatment for advanced LC is total laryngectomy (TL). Patients report difficulties adjusting to their stoma, communicating, coughing and eating in public, as well as shame associated with their changed appearance. Many patients state that trying to live the way they did before surgery is frustrating, yet some find hope in striving to get better and "getting back on track". Many patients state they benefited from speaking to other patients about these topics. Psychological well-being is also highly associated with social quality of life.

Laryngectomy patients suffer from dramatic disfigurement. They have a stoma - opening of the trachea at their necks - at a visible location. Patients surveyed at different stages of disease for dissatisfaction with body image and its relation to health related quality of life (HRQOL) reported that they were frequently concerned and dissatisfied with their changed appearance. Dissatisfaction also predicted lesser improvement in HRQOL, recovery and function. Observed disfigurement and dissatisfaction with appearance was shown to be moderated by the sense of social self-efficacy.

A Cochrane review of psychological interventions (C.B.T., dynamic, psycho-education and group interventions) performed with the HNC population showed ambiguous results as to the effects of interventions on improving QOL. This could be due to the difficulty of conducting verbal psychosocial interventions with a population suffering with speech impairments. Art therapy is a means with which patients can express themselves in a non-verbal way, experience creativity, address psychological and social issues, battle addictions and immerse themselves in a feeling of flow. The use of art materials is a sensorial activity that can engage the body in a relatively effortless yet meaningful way.

Studies examining the efficacy of art therapy with cancer patients, demonstrate the decrease of depressive symptoms anxiety and fatigue, moving patient's attention away from worry and pain, improving QOL, and coping capabilities. To the best of our knowledge, there has only been one published study of art therapy with laryngectomy patients. In this article, the art therapist worked with three laryngectomy patients, describing it as an ideal therapy for people with diminished communication capabilities as it provides for a safe arena for them to practice growing communication skills.

Thus, the aim of our study is to examine the psychological changes of post-laryngectomy patients following group art therapy. In order to obtain our study objectives, we propose to conduct a pilot study with Laryngectomy patients at Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. Our design is a quasi-experimental qualitative study with a pre-post design, collecting data with validated questionnaires and self-reports of the participants.

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • men or women above the age of 18
  • TL surgery at least one year ago

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Personality disorders that prevent participation in a group.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
  • Allocation: NA
  • Interventional Model: SINGLE_GROUP
  • Masking: NONE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
OTHER: Art therapy intervention
Participants will then take part in six-weeks of group art therapy with a goal of increasing self-awareness and expression. During the intervention sessions, participants will have access to a wide range of materials conventionally used in art therapy excluding materials that may be abrasive or powdery and unsuitable around people wearing a stoma.
Behavioral: Group art therapy
Participants will undergo 6 weeks of group art therapy in which they will learn tools to cope with a variety of cognitive, emotional and social aspects of life after TL.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The functional assessment of cancer therapy questionnaire (FACT H-N)
Time Frame: 10 minutes
39 items asking questions about physical, emotional, social and functional well being in the past 7 days
10 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD R-10)
Time Frame: 5 minutes
This scale is a self-report measure of depression. The total score is calculated by finding the sum of 10 items. Scores range from 0-40. A score equal to or above 16 indicates a person at risk for clinical depression.
5 minutes

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Art based intervention questionnaire (ABI)
Time Frame: 10 minutes
41 item questionnaire assessing an individuals experience an art based intervention
10 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Haifa

Collaborators

Carmel Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (ANTICIPATED)

July 1, 2019

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

January 1, 2020

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

January 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 11, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 11, 2018

First Posted (ACTUAL)

April 19, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

June 14, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 11, 2022

Last Verified

June 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • TL-Art

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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