Abstract
ObjectivesArt therapy (AT) as a treatment option for anxiety is regularly employed in clinical practice, but scientific evidence for its effectiveness is lacking, since this intervention has hardly been studied. The aim was to study the effectiveness of AT on anxiety in adult women. The specific type of AT studied was anthroposophic AT.MethodsA RCT comparing AT versus a waiting list (WL) condition on anxiety symptom severity, quality of life, and emotion regulation. Factors influencing treatment outcome were additionally explored. Participants were women, aged 18–65 years, diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder or panic disorder, with moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. The trial was registered in the Dutch Trial Registration (NTR28143).ResultsFifty-nine women were included, of which 47 completed the trial. Both per-protocol and intention-to treat analyses demonstrated effectiveness of AT compared to WL, showing a reduction in anxiety, an increase in subjective quality of life (both with large effects) and an improvement in accessibility of emotion regulation strategies (medium effect). Treatment effects remained after 3 months follow-up. Improved acceptance of emotions and improved goal-oriented action are aspects of emotion regulation that are associated with the decrease in anxiety level.ConclusionAT is effective in reducing anxiety symptoms, improving quality of life and aspects of emotion regulation. Future RCTs should use active controls (treatment as usual) and study cost-effectiveness.
Highlights
BackgroundAnxiety Nearly 29% of the population will be affected by an anxiety disorder (AD) somewhere in life (Kessler et al, 2005)
The tested intervention was executed by trained anthroposophic art therapy (AAT) professionals who are able to individualize the treatment within the boundaries of the described goals, means and exercises, based on consensus within the professional organization
Our study provides some information about the content of the intervention, but treatment goals from the list are not connected to general accepted theories and a rationale for the deployed artistic exercises cannot be provided at this point
Summary
BackgroundAnxiety Nearly 29% of the population will be affected by an AD somewhere in life (Kessler et al, 2005). The most common ADs that have an impact on daily life are social anxiety disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and panic disorder (PD) (Anxiety and Depression Association of America [ADAA], 2018). Combination of PT with CBT is recommended (Bandelow et al, 2012) but around 50% of individuals with ADs do not benefit from CBT (Nielsen et al, 2018), or prefer not to take medication, or prefer non-verbal therapy (Uttley et al, 2015). These groups of individuals may benefit from AT
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