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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 Jul-Sep;40(3):256-263.
doi: 10.1590/1516-4446-2017-2250. Epub 2018 Feb 1.

Art therapy as an adjuvant treatment for depression in elderly women: a randomized controlled trial

Eliana C Ciasca  1 , Rita C Ferreira  1 , Carmen L A Santana  2 , Orestes V Forlenza  1 , Glenda D Dos Santos  1 , Paula S Brum  3 , Paula V Nunes  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Art therapy as an adjuvant treatment for depression in elderly women: a randomized controlled trial

Eliana C Ciasca et al. Braz J Psychiatry. 2018 Jul-Sep.

Abstract

Objective: There are few quantitative studies on art therapy for the treatment of depression. The objective of this study was to evaluate if art therapy is beneficial as an adjuvant treatment for depression in the elderly.

Methods: A randomized, controlled, single-blind study was carried out in a sample of elderly women with major depressive disorder (MDD) stable on pharmacotherapy. The experimental group (EG) was assigned to 20 weekly art therapy sessions (90 min/session). The control group (CG) was not subjected to any adjuvant intervention. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after 20 weeks, using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and cognitive measures.

Results: Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age revealed that women in EG (n=31) had significant improvement in GDS (p = 0.007), BDI (p = 0.025), and BAI (p = 0.032) scores as compared with controls (n=25). No difference was found in the cognitive measures.

Conclusion: Art therapy as an adjunctive treatment for MDD in the elderly can improve depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Clinical trial registration: RBR-2YXY7Z.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flow diagram of participant selection. CG = control group. EG = experimental group. MDD = major depressive disorder. T1 = time point 1. T2 = time point 2.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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