The Effect of Artistic Activities on Anxiety, Spiritual Well-Being, Hope, and Vital Signs in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

December 2, 2025 updated by: Eda Ayten Kankaya, Dokuz Eylul University
The surgical process can cause high levels of anxiety and stress in patients, and abdominal surgery is particularly anxiety-provoking due to the risk of severe pain and complications. Artistic activities can be an effective complementary method for reducing anxiety and improving mental well-being and hope levels in individuals. Studies have shown that activities such as music therapy and visual arts have positive effects on pain, anxiety, and vital signs in surgical patients. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effects of artistic activities on anxiety, spiritual well-being, hope, and vital signs in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. The research will be conducted on patients undergoing abdominal surgery at the Department of General Surgery at Dokuz Eylül University. The data collection tools used will be the "Patient Assessment Form," "Vital Signs Form," "Visual Analog Anxiety Scale," "Spiritual Well-Being Scale," and "State Hope Scale." The intervention group will participate in mandala coloring as an artistic activity, while the control group will perform breathing exercises. Data analysis will be conducted using the SPSS 29.0 software package. Descriptive and analytical statistics will be used in the data analysis. The results of the study will determine the effect of artistic activities performed on abdominal surgery patients in the preoperative period on anxiety, spiritual well-being, hope, and vital signs. Based on the effectiveness of preoperative artistic activities in clinical use, a decision will be made as to whether they are useful in preparing patients for surgery in the preoperative period.

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

64

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Be 18 years of age or older

    • Be scheduled to undergo elective abdominal surgery (stomach, esophagus, colorectal, hepatobiliary)
    • Be conscious and able to communicate
    • Be willing to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients requiring emergency abdominal surgery

    • Patients with chronic psychiatric disorders
    • Patients with severe cognitive impairment
    • Patients with severe hearing or vision loss
    • Patients requiring intensive care
    • Patients with degenerative brain disorders

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: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Art group
mandala group
In the study, pre-tests and post-tests were administered to patients in the experimental and control groups by the first researcher in the patients' rooms. The pre-test data for the study will be collected using the "Patient Diagnosis Form," "Vital Signs Form," "Visual Analog Anxiety Scale," "Spiritual Well-Being Scale," and "State Hope Scale" through face-to-face interviews lasting an average of 10 minutes. After the data is collected, the experimental group will participate in art activities from the body and mind therapy group, while the control group will perform breathing exercises. Final test data will be collected 10 minutes after the activities are completed.
Active Comparator: Control group
deep breathing exercises
the control group will perform breathing exercises

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
anxiety
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), before the intervention - assessed once immediately prior to the intervention.
Anxiety levels will be measured using the Visual Analog Anxiety Scale (VAAS). The scale ranges from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no anxiety and 10 indicates the highest possible anxiety. Higher scores represent worse anxiety. The baseline (pre-test) measurement will be obtained during a face-to-face interview prior to the intervention.
Baseline (pre-test), before the intervention - assessed once immediately prior to the intervention.
Spiritual Well-Being
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), before the intervention - assessed once immediately prior to the intervention.
Spiritual well-being will be assessed using the Spiritual Well-Being Scale.It was developed by Daaleman and Frey (2004), and its Turkish validity and reliability study was conducted by Serbest and Şahin (2022). The scale consists of 12 items and two subscales (self-efficacy and life plan). Participants' responses are rated on a 5-point Likert-type response scale ranging from 1 = "Strongly agree" to 5 = "Strongly disagree." The total score of the scale ranges from 12 to 60. The baseline (pre-test) measurement will be obtained during a face-to-face interview prior to the intervention.
Baseline (pre-test), before the intervention - assessed once immediately prior to the intervention.
State Hope
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), before the intervention - assessed once immediately prior to the intervention.
Hope levels will be assessed using the State Hope Scale. The scale consists of six items. Responses were collected using an 8-point Likert scale (1= Strongly disagree, 4= Somewhat disagree, 8= Strongly agree).
Baseline (pre-test), before the intervention - assessed once immediately prior to the intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Vital signs
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), before the intervention-assessed once immediately prior to the intervention.
Vital signs will be assessed using the Patient Vital Signs Form, which includes blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, temperature, and pain level. Measurements will be obtained following standard clinical procedures during the baseline (pre-test) assessment prior to the intervention. Values will be interpreted according to established physiological reference ranges, and higher pain scores represent worse symptoms.
Baseline (pre-test), before the intervention-assessed once immediately prior to the intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: NAzife Gamze Özer Özlü, Phd, Dokuz Eylul university Nursing Faculty

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 (Actual)

May 7, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 7, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

August 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 20, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 2, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

December 16, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 16, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 2, 2025

Last Verified

July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL

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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