Effects of Art Therapy on Symptoms and Spiritual Well-Being in Hemodialysis

February 9, 2026 updated by: Seda Pehlivan, Uludag University

The Effect of Art Therapy Applied During Hemodialysis on Dialysis Symptoms and Spiritual Well-Being: A Randomised Controlled Study

Hemodialysis patients are confronted with a wide range of symptoms that adversely affect their daily functioning. Nurses hold a pivotal role in assessing these symptoms and their consequences, and in implementing evidence-based interventions aimed at enhancing patient well-being. This study designed to examine the effect of art therapy administered during hemodialysis on dialysis-related symptoms and spiritual well-being. This study aims to reduce hemodialysis symptoms and enhance spiritual well-being in patients undergoing hemodialysis by diverting their attention through non-invasive, non-pharmacological interventions such as art therapy. Art therapy is a type of therapy designed to connect patients to life, facilitate their integration into society, and increase their self-respect and self-confidence by developing their skills. Art therapy practices increase a person's mental well-being by reducing anxiety and stress. Studies using art therapy have found that both patients and their caregivers experience an increase in quality of life. However, there are no studies in the literature examining the symptoms experienced by patients during hemodialysis and their effect on spiritual well-being. The research will be conducted on patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment, and patients in the experimental group will receive at least 30 minutes of art therapy during each dialysis session. Data obtained before the start of the study, after 4 weeks of application, and 4 weeks after the end of the application will be compared with the control group data. In addition to its scientific contribution, it is thought that effective symptom management may contribute to the well-being of patients.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

60

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

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Kütahya, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Kütahya Health Sciences University Evliya Çelebi Training and Research Hospital

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • undergoing hemodialysis treatment
  • volunteering to participate in the study
  • fluency in Turkish
  • mental competence
  • the ability to use their hands effectively

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Five non-Turkish-speaking foreign patients
  • 15 patients were excluded due to lack of voluntary participation

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 Therapy
Patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment participated in art therapy sessions three times a week for four weeks during their hemodialysis treatment.
Other: art therapy
Art Therapy
No Intervention: Control Group
Patients in this group did not undergo any intervention and received standard treatment and care during hemodialysis.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Dialysis Syptoms
Time Frame: The scale was administered at baseline, 4 weeks post-intervention, and 8 weeks post-intervention.
The Dialysis Symptom Inventory (DSI) was used, validated and tested for reliability in Turkish by Önsöz and Usta Yeşilbalkan (2013) based on Weisbord et al. (2004). Test scores ranged from 30 to 150, with higher scores indicating more prevalent and stronger symptoms.
The scale was administered at baseline, 4 weeks post-intervention, and 8 weeks post-intervention.
Spiritual Well-Being
Time Frame: The scale was administered at baseline, 4 weeks post-intervention, and 8 weeks post-intervention.
The Spiritual Well-Being (SWB) Scale, developed by Breedle and colleagues (2011) and validated and reliability tested in Turkish by Ekşi and Kardaş (2017), was used. It is a five-point Likert-type scale consisting of 12 items. The score obtained from the spiritual well-being scale ranges from 0 to 48. A higher score indicates that patients have a high level of spiritual well-being.
The scale was administered at baseline, 4 weeks post-intervention, and 8 weeks post-intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Patient Satisfaction
Time Frame: The form was administered 4 weeks post-intervention.
The patient satisfaction form for art therapy, developed by the researchers, consists of 8 items. The form includes questions regarding prior participation in art therapy activities and patients' perceptions of the researcher's conduct during the intervention. In the last question of this form, patients were asked to rate their satisfaction level on a scale of 0-10. A high score indicates high satisfaction.
The form was administered 4 weeks post-intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Uludag University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Seda Pehlivan, Associate Professor, Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi

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)

November 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 2, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 9, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 887076

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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