Id		88
Author		Macrì, E.; Limoni, C.
Title		Artistic activities and psychological well-being perceived by patients with spinal cord injury.
Reference		Macrì, E., & Limoni, C. (2017). Artistic activities and psychological well-being perceived by patients with spinal cord injury. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 54, 1-6.
Keywords		artistic activities; psychological well-being; spinal cord injury; rehabilitation
Link to article		https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2017.02.003
Abstract		This study aimed to determine whether engaging in artistic activities affected the psychological well-being of patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI). 19 hospital patients with SCI regularly engaged in arts-based activities such as painting, woodworking and working with clay. The psychological general well-being index (PGWBI) was used to measure the subjective well-being of participants during two periods. The first period coincided with the reactivation phase, in which individual physical and psychological health conditions began to improve, allowing them to participate in the activities; the second phase coincided with the pre-discharge period, after the patients carried out the artistic activities. The results showed a statistically significant change of the PGWBI global score from a moderate distress level to the absence of distress, while 4 domains out of the 6 PGWBI domains (general health, vitality, depressed mood and positive well-being) demonstrated a statistically significant change.
Metodology		The validated Italian version of the PGWBI questionnaire was used to assess the patients’ psychological well-being status before and after therapy. PGWBI domains (subscales) and the global score at the end of therapy were compared pairwise between these time points using the related samples Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Possible correlations between the evolution of psychological and covariates (treatment duration, patients’ age, duration of the assessment phase and duration of hospitalisation) were explored as secondary endpoints using Spearman nonparametric correlation statistics. The significance level was set to α = 0.05 two-tailed. A p-value of 0.05 was considered as significant, and a p-value of 0.10 as a trend. Continuous data are presented as mean ± SD, as well as median values. Categorical data are presented as numbers and percentages. Analyses were performed using the commercially available statistical package SPSS, version 22.0.
Findings		The aim of our study was to determine whether an association exists between the active involvement in artistic practices and the psychological well-being of SCI patients by means of a validated international tool, the PGWBI questionnaire. On the basis of the statistically significant increase of the global score, as well as 4 out of the 6 domains of the PGWBI and the significant or borderline correlation of some PGWBI scales with the duration of artistic activities but not with the duration of hospitalisation, we believe that our results support the hypothesis that participating in artistic activities positively affects the psychological well-being of patients with SCIs and that the level of psychological well-being achieved after therapy is not different from that observed in the reference healthy Italian population. Therefore, on the basis of the findings, we recommend that artistic activities be incorporated in the services provided by other hospitals. Our results must be considered as preliminary due to the absence of a control group, and therefore need to be confirmed by further randomised and comparative studies. Further research is required to achieve deeper insights and a better understanding of the relationship between the arts and the psychological well-being of patients. With our results, we hope to stimulate future studies through a continuous analysis of the topic in order to foster the use of art in treatment paths for patients with SCIs as well as those with other illnesses or injuries.
Open Access		NO
DOI		10.1016/j.aip.2017.02.003
Search Database		Researcher knowledge
Technique		Questionnaire; Greater Cincinnati Chapter Well-Being Observation Tool; Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI); Wilcoxon test; Spearman nonparametric correlation

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