Acceptability and feasibility of therapeutic visual art intervention
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the feasibility, acceptability and impact of a person-centered therapeutic art intervention on people living with dementia
IRAS ID
241969
Contact name
Claire Surr
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Beckett University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 24 days
Research summary
Previous literature has shown that the visual arts can engage attention, provide stimulation and improve behaviour, well-being and cognition in people with dementia. It is important that people with dementia have access to good quality intellectual or sensory activities that follow the principles of person-centred care. The person-centred approach focuses on the person as an individual and on their autonomy and strengths and emphasises the sense of power and control to the individual. Despite this, there is a lack of a theoretical framework for a person-centred therapeutic visual art intervention. A person-centred visual art intervention would align with the person-centred principles, affirming the individual’s sense of self and their potential, providing the facilitative conditions to enable an individual to make their own choices during the sessions. Existing literature includes few rigorous studies evaluating art interventions, resulting in little robust empirical evidence to allow for a full assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of such approaches. The methods used to evaluate efficacy are varied, alongside weak study design and small sample sizes. The research also lacks level of definition, uniformity and operationalisation of the arts interventions under study, that is required for replication (Mirabella, 2015). This study aims to address some of these gaps.
Aims:
This study aims to:
1.Design a person-centred therapeutic visual art intervention for people with dementia, using existing literature and guidelines, and refine this in response to consultation with people with dementia and art therapists/visual artists;
2.Assess the feasibility and acceptability of the visual art intervention for people with dementia, their relative/friends and the visual art facilitators;
3.Select and test suitable outcome measures for use in future evaluations;
4.Investigate whether engaging in the visual art intervention has an impact on outcomes including quality of life and social functioning.The visual art intervention has been designed and the consultation phase to refine this will be completed within the next few months. This phase has already received ethical approval from Leeds Beckett University. The IRAS application is for the research activities to meet aims 2 – 4 only.
References:
Mirabella, G. (2015). Is art therapy a reliable tool for rehabilitating people suffering from brain/mental diseases? Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 21, 196 – 199.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/YH/0413
Date of REC Opinion
3 Dec 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion