Effectiveness of group arts therapy: Randomised controlled trial (ERA)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Effectiveness of group arts therapy compared to group counselling for diagnostically heterogeneous psychiatric community patients: Randomised controlled trial in mental health services
IRAS ID
252526
Contact name
Catherine Carr
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
East London NHS Foundation Trust
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN88805048
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 30 days
Research summary
Aim: We want test if arts therapies groups are effective for patients with different types of mental illness.
Background: Arts therapies use different art forms and creative activities to help people living with mental illness. These include music therapy, dance-movement therapy and art therapy. Each has a different focus: on the 'ear' (music), the 'body' (dance-movement) and the 'eye' (art). They are usually provided in regular group meetings over a few months. Arts therapies may help patients to express emotions and have experiences which might not be possible in talking therapies.
Different people prefer different art-forms. If patients can choose which art-form they like best, they may be more likely to attend and benefit from this. While arts therapies are popular with many patients, they are not always provided in NHS services. So far, there has been little research to show that they are helpful. Existing research has involved people with only one diagnosis (such as schizophrenia). This is different to how arts therapies groups are provided as they usually include people with different mental illnesses.
Design and methods used:
We will ask patients in community mental health services if they would like to participate in a form of group arts therapies and if so, which one. They will then be divided into two groups by chance. Half will receive their preferred form of arts therapy group. The other half will be offered group meetings with general talking and support, but no use of arts. Patients can attend for up to 40 sessions over 5 months. We will collect data with patients at the beginning and end of treatment, 6 and 12 months later. We will then compare the two groups to see if patients receiving arts therapies had a better improvement of symptoms and quality of life.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/YH/0464
Date of REC Opinion
20 Dec 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion