Art Therapy Alleviates the Levels of Depression and Blood Glucose in Diabetic Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Qingqi Yang,Qiang Xu,Lin Li,Hui Shi,Qunhui Shao

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.639626

Abstract

Objective: To systematically analyze the effects of art therapy on the levels of depression, anxiety, blood glucose, and glycated hemoglobin in diabetic patients.Methods: We searched Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases from inception to January 24, 2021. The language of publication was limited to English. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that used art therapy to improve mental disorders in diabetic patients were involved. After selection of eligible studies, data were extracted, including the first author's full-name, year of publication, the first author's country of residence, number of intervention and control groups, the mean age of participants, method of intervention, duration of follow-up, and outcome measures. Assessment of quality of the included studies and data extraction were independently carried out by two researchers. RevMan 5.3 software was used to perform statistical analysis.Results: A total of 396 samples from five studies were included, and the eligible studies were RCTs with a parallel design. Methods of art therapy included music therapy and painting therapy. The results showed that compared with the control group, art therapy could positively affect the levels of depression [standardized mean difference (SMD), −1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI), (−1.63, −1.09); P < 0.00001] and blood glucose in diabetic patients [mean difference (MD), −0.90; 95% CI, (−1.03, −0.77); P < 0.0001], while it had no influence on the levels of anxiety [SMD, −0.31; 95% CI, (−0.93, 0.31); P = 0.32] and glycated hemoglobin [MD, 0.22; 95% CI, (−0.02, 0.46); P = 0.07].Conclusion: Art therapy may have significant effects on the levels of depression and blood glucose for diabetic patients.

Highlights

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level over a prolonged period of time
The results showed that compared with the control group, art therapy could positively affect the levels of depression [standardized mean difference (SMD), −1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI), (−1.63, −1.09); P < 0.00001] and blood glucose in diabetic patients [mean difference (MD), −0.90; 95% CI, (−1.03, −0.77); P < 0.0001], while it had no influence on the levels of anxiety [SMD, −0.31; 95% CI, (−0.93, 0.31); P = 0.32] and glycated hemoglobin [MD, 0.22; 95% CI, (−0.02, 0.46); P = 0.07]
The results showed that application of psychological and pharmacological interventions can be clinically significant for diabetic patients with depression, and psychiatric medication can moderately control blood glucose level (Baumeister et al, 2014)

Summary

Introduction

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level over a prolonged period of time. Several studies have reported that the incidence of anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders in diabetic patients is significantly higher than that in general population (Hajós et al, 2014; Vancampfort et al, 2016; Smith et al, 2018). Psychological needs of diabetic patients may reduce their compliance with medication, exercise, diet, and other treatment methods, resulting in a poor control of blood glucose level (Anderson et al, 2002). Mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, may increase the risk of complications caused by diabetes. It is highly essential to provide psychotherapy for diabetic patients with mental disorders

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Discussion

Conclusion