The effects of art therapy on anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients: An updated meta-analysis

Objective: In this meta-analysis, we aimed to investigate the effects of art therapy on anxiety and depression in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched for relevant studies through December 2019. Standardised mean differences (SMDs) were calculated as the effects of art therapy on improvement of anxiety and depression in women with breast cancer. The meta-analysis included nine studies involving a total of 446 participants.

Results: The summary SMD of art therapy for anxiety was -1.02 (95% confidence interval (CI), -2.08 to 0.04; p = .06). The pooled SMD of art therapy for depression was -0.73 (95% CI, -1.45 to -0.01; p = .046). In the age subgroup analysis, the summary SMD of art therapy for anxiety was -1.30 (95% CI, -2.45 to -0.14; p = .03) for a mean age of more than 55 years. The summary SMD of art therapy for depression was -1.01 (95% CI, -1.95 to -0.05; p = .04) for a mean age of less than 55 years.

Conclusion: This meta-analysis revealed that art therapy demonstrates positive effects on depression but not anxiety in patients with breast cancer. There appears to be a critical age period for art therapy to alleviate anxiety or depression in these patients.