The employment of art therapy to develop empathy and foster wellbeing for junior doctors in a palliative medicine rotation - a qualitative exploratory study on acceptability.

BACKGROUND: The interdisciplinary realm of medical humanities explores narratives and experiences that can enhance medical education for physicians through perspective-taking and reflective practice. However, there is a gap in comprehension regarding its appropriateness at the postgraduate level, especially when utilising art therapists as faculty. This study aims to assess the acceptability of an innovative art therapy-focused educational initiative among junior doctors during a palliative care rotation, with the goal of cultivating empathy and promoting well-being. METHODS: A qualitative research project was conducted at the Division of Supportive and Palliative Care (DSPC) in the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS). The study involved the recruitment of junior doctors who had successfully completed a three-month palliative care rotation program, spanning from January 2020 to April 2021. In a single small-group session lasting 1.5 h, with 3 to 4 participants each time, the individuals participated in activities such as collage making, group reflection, and sharing of artistic creations. These sessions were facilitated by an accredited art therapist and a clinical psychologist, focusing on themes related to empathy and wellbeing. To assess the acceptability of the program, two individual interviews were conducted three months apart with each participant. An independent research assistant utilised a semi-structured question guide that considered affective attitude, burden, perceived effectiveness, coherence, and self-efficacy. Thematic analysis of the transcribed data was then employed to scrutinise the participants' experiences. RESULTS: A total of 20 individual interviews were completed with 11 participants. The three themes identified were lack of pre-existing knowledge of the humanities, promotors, and barriers to program acceptability. CONCLUSIONS: The participants have mixed perceptions of the program's acceptability. While all completed the program in its entirety, the acceptability of the program is impeded by wider systemic factors such as service and manpower needs. It is vital to address these structural limitations as failing to do so risks skewing current ambivalence towards outright rejection of future endeavours to integrate humanities programs into medical education.

The effects of online art therapy on ego functions, emotion regulation, and interpersonal relationship styles in neurotic personality organization.

Art therapy, as an effective therapeutic intervention, is used to improve positive self-image and self-awareness, promote insight, and enhance therapeutic communication. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of art psychotherapy on ego functions, emotion regulation, and interpersonal relationship styles of individuals with neurotic personality organization. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, 60 participants were assigned to intervention and control groups, each further divided into three subgroups (n = 10 per subgroup). The intervention group engaged in online art therapy sessions twice weekly over nine weeks, while the control group received no intervention. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, paired samples t-tests, and independent t-tests. There was a significant decrease in the intervention group's judgmental subdimensions of the Ego Function Assessment Scale. A significant decrease was found in the intervention group in "awareness" (p < 0.01), "clarity" (p < 0.05), and "impulse" (p < 0.001) subdimensions and total scores of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. There was no statistical difference between the intervention and control groups' mean pretests and posttests and comparing those groups with each other concerning IRSQ scores. The online group art therapy led to successful improvements in participants' ego functions and emotion regulations.

Art therapy masks reflect emotional changes in military personnel with PTSS.

Among disabling post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are irritability, aggressive behavior, distressing memories and general impaired cognition and negative mood. Art therapy interventions, including mask-making, can potentially alleviate these symptoms. We tested the hypothesis that art conveys emotions and predicted that blinded viewers would be able to perceive changes in theoretically derived emotional profiles expressed in art made by military personnel with PTSS from the onset to the end of therapy. Five service members and veterans exhibiting PTSS were enrolled in an 8-session art therapy protocol, during which they artistically transformed papier-mâché masks at the beginning and end of the protocol. We found that blinded viewers without knowledge of the masks' creation stage (onset or end of therapy) read initial masks as conveying more negative emotions (e.g., angry, upset, and challenged) and later masks as conveying more positive emotions (calm and pleasure). Based on the assessments from the blinded evaluators, we infer the emotional transition experienced by the participants was expressed in the masks. In an exploratory arm of the study, we also found that viewers were better able to empathize with the negative emotions experienced by participants with PTSS when asked to explicitly take their perspective.

Effectiveness of trauma-focused art therapy (TFAT) for psychological trauma: study protocol of a multiple-baseline single-case experimental design.

INTRODUCTION: Treatments such as eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing and (narrative) exposure therapies are commonly used in psychological trauma. In everyday practice, art therapy is also often used, although rigorous research on its efficacy is lacking. Patients seem to benefit from the indirect, non-verbal experiential approach of art therapy. This protocol paper describes a study to examine the effectiveness of a 10-week individual trauma-focused art therapy (TFAT) intervention. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A mixed-methods multiple-baseline single-case experimental design will be conducted with 25-30 participants with psychological trauma. Participants will be randomly assigned to a baseline period lasting 3-5 weeks, followed by the TFAT intervention (10 weeks) and follow-up (3 weeks). Quantitative measures will be completed weekly: the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Mental Health Continuum Short Form, the Resilience Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Self-expression and Emotion Regulation in Art Therapy Scale. The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5 will be completed at week 1 and week 10. Qualitative instruments comprise a semistructured interview with each individual patient and therapist, and a short evaluation for the referrer. Artwork will be used to illustrate the narrative findings. Quantitative outcomes will be analysed with linear mixed models using the MultiSCED web application. Qualitative analyses will be performed using thematic analysis with ATLAS.ti. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the ethics committee of the HAN University of Applied Sciences (ECO 394.0922). All participants will sign an informed consent form and data will be treated confidentially. Findings will be published open access in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05593302.

[Nursing Experience Using Art Therapy to Help Women With Breast Cancer Face Changes in Body Image].

The subject in this study was a female professional painter who underwent bilateral mastectomy because of bilateral breast cancer, experienced postoperative wound scarring, and developed alopecia due to the side effects of chemotherapy, which caused the patient to lose body image confidence and the motivation to engage in artistic creativity. The patient had shed tears early in the intervention and complained of difficulties with body image adjustment due to her altered appearance. Mastectomy patients must not only undergo drug treatment but also adjust psychologically to body image changes to decrease negative emotions. This was the author's motivation for involvement in this case. The nursing period was from 23 September to 30 December 2021. Physical, mental, spiritual, social, and family data were collected using observations and interviews. These data were evaluated and the main problems were determined to be disturbed body image related to altered body perception post-surgery, alopecia caused by chemotherapy, impaired physical mobility due to upper limb mobility limitations post-surgery, and nausea due to chemotherapy. The patient was encouraged to paint again and to use artistic creativity to comfort herself. Moreover, she was guided to express her innermost thoughts to face the impact of her changes in appearance. In addition, a care consultation channel was provided to facilitate experience sharing with other breast cancer patients, thus assisting the patient to cope with the mental impact of her treatments and face subsequent cancer treatments with a more positive attitude. Art therapy embraces a diverse variety of methods, including drawing and music. Art therapy is a valuable tool that facilitates both physical and mental healing. Based on this experience, nurses should include patients' close relatives when performing art therapy to facilitate shared care to overcome difficulties. We hope this nursing experience provides a practical reference for nurses.

Visual art therapy and its effects in older people with mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a known risk factor for the development of dementia. The potential benefits on cognition from non-pharmacological measures such as art-based interventions are of increasing interest. This systematic review examines the evidence for the impact of one form of art-based intervention, visual art therapy (VAT), on the cognition and psychological wellbeing of older people with MCI. METHODS: Randomised controlled and quasi-experimental trials evaluating the efficacy of VAT in older persons aged over 60 years with MCI were included. A search was performed on electronic databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase and PsycINFO. Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal and extraction tools were utilised for risk of bias assessment and data extraction, respectively. A narrative descriptive approach was used to outline the findings. RESULTS: Seven studies were identified from 4311 articles screened. Improvement in cognition was reported in five studies, with two of these reporting sustained improvement at 6-9 months, while the remaining three studies showed improvement only at the immediate post-intervention period. A positive impact was reported in four of six studies that examined the effect of VAT on participant psychological wellbeing. The overall methodological quality of the studies ranged from moderate in four of five RCTs, to high in the quasi-experimental studies and one RCT. However, the low study power in the context of small sample sizes limits the applicability of these studies to the population of interest. CONCLUSIONS: VAT is potentially an effective non-pharmacological intervention that may enhance cognition and provide benefits for psychological wellbeing in older persons with MCI. Given the limited studies available, with the majority emerging over the last 5 years, further research is required to confirm these reported benefits, as well as to determine whether VAT impacts on the progression of cognitive decline in MCI.

Drawing your way out: Imagery rehearsal based art therapy (IR-AT) for post-traumatic nightmares in borderline personality disorder.

Posttraumatic nightmares (PTN) are a frequent symptom after a traumatic event and often play part in the psychopathology of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) currently offers the best evidence for an effective treatment to reduce PTNs, although high drop-out rates are common. Art therapy in IRT may counteract this, by its indirect, nonverbal, and often playful approach that helps to break through avoidance. This case study focusses on the perception of a patient with BPD in an art therapy based IRT treatment for patients with PTNs. It tells the story of Aurelia, a 40-year-old woman who, within this treatment, processes traumatic contents of her childhood like physical and sexual violence, but also current interactional problems that manifest themselves in her nightmares. Following the IR-AT treatment for PTNs Aurelia noticed a reduction in her nightmares, was less afraid of them and felt calmer towards her trauma. She expressed herself in the art medium and by this developed more self-efficacy. Her process resulted in an integration of the trauma and a perceived decrease in borderline symptoms. Future research can build on this basis to further explore the mechanisms and effects of IR-AT for PTNs.

A Role for Visual Art Therapy in the Management of Migraine.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Migraine is a disabling disorder that adversely affects the whole person and requires multimodal management. Through a brief historical overview of migraine as a subject for visual art, benefits reported from art therapy used in the management of other types of chronic pain, and a summary of the limited research involving art therapy for migraine, we aim to provide support for art therapy's potential role in the management of migraine. RECENT FINDINGS: As art therapy has been shown to be effective in the management of other chronic pain conditions, providing insight into the individual's pain experience and perception of pain, ameliorating pain by means of distraction, and improving psychosocial health, by extension, it may be of benefit in the migraine population as well. Migraine is disabling, and previous literature has shown efficacy in lifestyle modifications as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Based on its efficacy in other pain conditions, we suggest art therapy as an additional tool for the preventive management of migraine.

Creating a difference - a role for the arts in addressing child wellbeing in conflict-affected areas.

BACKGROUND: Details findings from a project on the potential for arts activities and art therapy to support the mental health and wellbeing of children living in Kashmir. METHODS: The intervention engaged 30 school children over the course of one year who produced various forms of artwork and performances. In this paper, we report on project impacts, drawing on some of our qualitative measures including observations and interviews. RESULTS: Our research details impacts and improvements in areas of emotional expression, belonging, and agency. We also found an important role for schools to create safe, secure, and caring spaces to allow students to express themselves and work through traumatic feelings in a non-judgemental way. CONCLUSIONS: School-based arts interventions can play an important role in the mental health and wellbeing of children. Critical here, however, are dedicated space, time, and resources to provide a supportive environment and to sustain activity in long-term.

As Much As I Can - Utilizing Immersive Theatre to Reduce HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination Toward Black Sexual Minority Men.

BACKGROUND: Despite advances in biomedical HIV prevention modalities such as pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the transmission of HIV, racial/ethnic and sexual/gender minority populations are disproportionately impacted by HIV epidemic. Alarming rates of HIV have persisted among Black gay and bisexual men, particularly in Southern states. METHODS: Utilizing data from the ViiV ACCELERATE! initiative, we explored the impact of As Much As I Can, an immersive theatre production, on HIV-related stigma behaviors. A self-administered post-performance survey was conducted with a cohort (n = 322) of randomly selected audience members. RESULTS: Overall, the results showed participants had a highly favorable experience, rating the performance with a mean score of 9.77/10. Respondents indicated they intended to change behaviors to promote HIV prevention education and to reduce stigma and discrimination including: (1) Say something if I hear stigmatizing language against people living with HIV (75.4%), (2) Say something if I hear anti-gay language (69.7%) and (3) Tell others about HIV prevention options (e.g., PrEP, PEP, condoms (64.1%). The findings show there is an association between HIV-related behavior intention and linkage to HIV care. Respondents who reported they were more likely to say something about HIV stigma were almost three times (O.R. 2.77; 95% C.I. 0.98-7.8) more likely to indicate they would follow up with a healthcare professional. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that immersive theatre is an effective method for communicating HIV prevention education and reducing HIV-related structural stigma and discrimination that increases HIV vulnerability for Black sexual minority men.

Oficina de artesanato natalino no Serviço de Cuidados Prolongados (SCP) Álcool e Drogas Boracea

No último mês de novembro, a oficina de arteterapia do Serviço de Cuidados Prolongados (SCP) Álcool e Drogas (AD) Boracea foi natalina. Os acolhidos produziram bolinhas de natal para enfeitar a unidade. A oficina de arterapia faz parte das atividades desenvolvidas no SCP e consistiu em uma importante estratégia para o tratamento de dependência química do Rogério, que teve alta no dia 1º de dezembro e vai passar o primeiro Natal em família após o tratamento.

The effects of art therapy on quality of life and psychosomatic symptoms in adults with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-related psychological and physical disorders can mean stressful and painful experiences for patients. Art therapy, a form of complementary and alternative medicine, is an increasingly popular way to decrease emotional stress, alleviate somatic symptoms, and improve quality of life in patients with cancer. However, current systematic reviews have not explored the beneficial effects of art therapy. Moreover, there have been inconsistent findings on the effect of this therapy, and there is insufficient evidence to confirm the effects in adults with cancer. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of art therapy in improving quality of life and psychosomatic symptoms in adults with cancer. METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis included adults with all kinds of cancer. Six English-language and three large Chinese-language databases were comprehensively searched for relevant studies. Gray literature and references were also checked. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool. RESULTS: Eight eligible randomized controlled trials conducted in four countries were included. Art therapy improved overall quality of life, but had no significant effect on psychological health or physical health sub-dimensions in women with cancer. Moreover, art therapy alleviated anxiety and depression, but had only a tendency toward an effect on somatic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate-quality evidence shows that art therapy is beneficial for women with cancer in terms of improving the overall quality of life and alleviating emotional symptoms (anxiety and depression). However, more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the efficacy of this therapy on somatic symptoms.

Grupo com crianças e o uso de recursos artístico-expressivos: um estudo qualitativo / Group with children, and the use of artistic-expressive resources: a qualitative study / Grupo con niños y uso de recursos artístico-expresivos: un estudio cualitativo

O uso de recursos artístico-expressivos, muito presente no universo infantil, facilita o acesso a conteúdos inconscientes e promove um ambiente propício para a expressão e elaboração de sentimentos, podendo ser considerado um instrumento para intervenção junto às crianças. Objetivou-se investigar o uso desses recursos em um grupo terapêutico realizado em serviço-escola de Psicologia, atrelado a um trabalho que visava a expressão e compreensão das emoções. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa em Psicologia Clínica, na qual foram realizadas entrevistas iniciais e finais com os responsáveis pelas crianças, além de oito encontros semanais em sessões de uma hora de duração, mediados por histórias infantis, que discorriam sobre identidade, família e emoções, seguidas de atividades expressivas. Os resultados indicam que o uso de recursos artístico-expressivos possibilitou a expressão de emoções, elaboração de vivências e melhora na comunicação, além de promover melhorias nas relações familiares e interpessoais. Considera se tratar de uma via de intervenção pertinente em serviços-escola de Psicologia, haja vista seu potencial na promoção de saúde mental infantil.

The use of artistic-expressive resources, very present in the children's universe, facilitates access to unconscious contents and promotes an environment conducive to the expression and elaboration of feelings, and can be considered an instrument for intervention with children. The objective was to investigate the use of these resources in a therapeutic group held in a Psychology school service, linked to work that aimed at expressing and understanding emotions. In this qualitative research in Clinical Psychology were taken initial and final interviews with those responsible for the children, in addition to eight weekly meetings in one-hour sessions, mediated by children's stories that discussed identity, family and emotions, followed by expressive activities. The results indicate that the use of artistic-expressive resources enabled the expression of emotions, elaboration of experiences and improved communication, in addition to promoting improvements in family and interpersonal relationships. This strategy is therefore considered to be a relevant way of intervention in Psychology school services, given its potential in promoting children's mental health.

El uso de recursos artísticos y expresivos, muy común en el mundo infantil, facilita el acceso a contenidos inconscientes y promueve un ambiente propicio para la expresión y comprensión de sentimientos, lo que lo convierte en una herramienta valiosa para intervenir con niños. El objetivo fue investigar el uso de estos recursos en un grupo terapéutico realizado en un servicio escuela de psicología, en el contexto de un programa destinado a fomentar la expresión y comprensión de las emociones. Llevamos a cabo una investigación cualitativa en Psicología Clínica, que incluyó entrevistas iniciales y finales con los padres de los niños, así como ocho sesiones semanales de una hora de duración. Durante estas sesiones, utilizamos historias infantiles para abordar temas relacionados con la identidad, la familia y las emociones, seguidas de actividades expresivas. Los resultados indican que el uso de recursos artísticos y expresivos posibilitó la expresión de emociones, elaboración de experiencias y mejoró la comunicación, además de promover mejoras en las relaciones familiares e interpersonales. Se considera una vía de intervención relevante en los servicios escuela de psicología, dado su potencial en la promoción de la salud mental infantil.

Art Therapy Interventions for Syrian Child and Adolescent Refugees: Enhancing Mental Well-being and Resilience.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This critical review primarily aims to conduct a comprehensive assessment of recent studies conducted within the past 3 years, with a specific focus on the use of art therapy within Syrian child and adolescent refugee populations. The central objective of this inquiry is to explore the impact of art therapy interventions and provide critical insights into their effectiveness in enhancing the mental well-being and resilience of these young refugees. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent research conducted within the past 3 years highlights the effectiveness of art therapy as an intervention strategy within Syrian child and adolescent refugee populations. These studies emphasize that art therapy offers a safe and supportive space for these young refugees to express emotions, process trauma, and improve their psychological well-being. It has shown promise in mitigating trauma-related challenges and fostering resilience among this group of refugee populations. Furthermore, art therapy plays a crucial role in preserving cultural identities and has proven to be versatile and adaptable to various artistic modalities. These findings underscore the potential of art therapy as a valuable tool for supporting the mental well-being and resilience of Syrian children and adolescent refugees, warranting further exploration and integration into their care and support programs. Recent studies on the use of art therapy within Syrian child and adolescent refugee communities reveal its potential as a powerful intervention strategy for enhancing mental well-being and resilience in this vulnerable population. The review identifies six key themes, highlighting the therapeutic benefits and versatility of art therapy. As we move forward, these findings offer promising future directions for research and practice in art therapy with this specific group of refugees, emphasizing the need for continued exploration and integration of this approach in supporting Syrian child and adolescent refugees.

[Mindfulness meditation and art therapy for Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers]. / La méditation et l'art-thérapie au service des patients souffrant de la maladie d'Alzheimer.

Alzheimer's disease affects nearly three million people in France, and requires training for both healthcare professionals and caregivers. Our study underlines the value of supporting an adapted program based on mindfulness meditation, to reduce anxiety and stress for patients and their caregivers.

Art therapy-based interventions to address burnout and psychosocial distress in healthcare workers-a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Burnout and psychosocial distress are serious and growing issues for healthcare workers (HCWs) and healthcare systems across the globe. Exacerbated by changes in healthcare delivery during and following the Covid-19 pandemic, these issues negatively affect HCW wellbeing, clinical outcomes and patient safety. Art Therapy has demonstrated promise as a suitable but under researched intervention, warranting further investigation. This systematic review aims to ascertain what art therapy-based interventions used to address burnout and / or psychosocial distress in HCWs have been reported in the health and social care literature and how these have been evaluated. METHODS: Six databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, ProQuest Central), Google Scholar and three clinical trial registries (CENTRAL, ICTRP and ClinicalTrials.gov) were searched for studies using art therapy-based methods to engage with burnout risk or psychosocial distress in HCWs. Following screening for eligibility study characteristics and outcomes were extracted by two reviewers independently. Studies were evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tools. Outcomes were grouped for analysis. Quantitative and qualitative results were synthesised and integrated using narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies, drawn from thirteen countries, spanning five continents were selected for inclusion. Fifty percent were published in the last five years, indicating growing global research in the field. Fourteen studies used quantitative research methods and thirteen used qualitative methods. A total of 1580 participants took part in the studies, with nurses most broadly represented (59%). Interventions were mostly delivered in groups (95%) and by an art therapist (70%). Heterogeneity and insufficient randomised controlled trials precluded the possibility of meta-analysis. However, a review of available data showed evidence of medium to large effects for emotional exhaustion (burnout), work-related stress and common mental health issues. A content analysis of qualitative data of perceived effect complemented quantitative findings. CONCLUSION: Global research into the use of art therapy-based methods to address burnout and psychosocial distress in HCWs is growing. Whilst further high-quality evidence such as randomised controlled trials would be beneficial, findings suggest that art therapy-based methods should be strongly considered as an acceptable and effective treatment for symptoms of emotional exhaustion (burnout) and psychosocial distress in HCWs.

Arts-based therapies, practices, and interventions in health.

This collection focuses on creative art therapies, practices, and interventions in health contexts as part of the Mind-body interventions series of BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. The collection highlights the emerging value of the arts in complementary medicine and contributes to the expanding knowledge and integration of mind-body interventions and creative art practices.

A practical development protocol for evidence-based digital integrative arts therapy content in public mental health services: digital transformation of mandala art therapy.

Introduction: The fundamentals of digital transformation include the conversion of the traditional method into a digital format to develop a standardized system that collects, analyzes, and processes quantitative data. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the development process and key elements of evidence-based digital integrative arts therapy. Methods: The "Digital Mandala" service in the "Mental Health App" produced as part of a national public mental health project for personalized depression management is adopted to explain how to convert the existing mandala art therapy into digital format. A living lab approach has been applied, which can be used to address the nation's mental health challenges by promoting collaboration, innovation, and evidence-based solutions. Results: Evidence-based digital content requires evidence that covers the structural process, the effects of existing methods, and the components and meanings of each detailed scene. In this section, we provide five stages of the development process, including preliminary research, design, development, commercialization, and advancement. Consequently, clinical elements, integrative arts therapy features, and data factors are defined as the key principles of evidence-based digital integrative arts therapy. Discussion: Based on the data factors found in this study, it will be possible to create an evaluation dataset of digital integrative arts therapy content for managing depression. Additionally, the large-scale public data can be analyzed through artificial intelligence technology, which is expected to be used as a basis for deriving significant results in a new form, going further than the existing evaluation method. This research is significant because it establishes the foundation for digital transformation in the field of art therapy for public mental health services and investigates its potential.

Mind-body and art therapies impact on emotional regulation in patients with chronic diseases: a pragmatic mixed-methods randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Effective emotional regulation is recognized as essential to a good mental health of people with chronic diseases, and Mind-body and Art Therapies (MBATs) could have a positive effect on emotional regulation skills in this population. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the effect of MBATs on emotional regulation as measured by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) questionnaire. METHODS: A convergent mixed approach nested in a pragmatic superiority two arms parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted. French speaking adults with one or more chronic somatic illnesses and not suffering from a chronic psychiatric disorder unrelated to one of their chronic somatic illness were included. At inclusion, non-directive interviews were conducted, followed by an initial DERS assessment. The same combination of evaluation was implemented after 6 months of activity (T1). After inclusion, each participant was randomized within either the intervention group (G1) or the control group (G2) following a controlled wait-list design by use of a pregenerated randomization list. Staff and patient were blinded to this list until the initial evaluation was completed, after which the trial was conducted in an open-label fashion. Participants chose 2 mediations: one creativity-focused (art-therapy, writing workshop, theatre of life, vocal workshop) and one mind-body-focused (mindfulness meditation, Pilates, shiatsu, ayurvedic massages). G1 started their mediations immediately after inclusion, while G2 started 6 months later. Primary outcome was the change in means at 6 months in the overall DERS score compared between each group. Non-directive interviews were carried out at the inclusion and after 6 months of MBATs. A continuous inductive analysis was carried out on gathered material in G1 to explore the participants' experiences regarding their disease and their perceived changes associated to the intervention. RESULTS: A total of 150 patients was randomized (75 per groups) at the end of the study. At T1, 133 patients filled out the final questionnaire (67 in G1 vs 66 in G2) and 112 interviews were analysed (54 in G1 vs 58 in G2). All 150 patients were analysed (intention to treat) using a multiple imputation approach. The mean DERS score at T0 was equal to 82.8 ± 21.1 and 85.0 ± 20.2 in G1 and G2 respectively. On average, at T1, the score decreased in the G1 (Δ = -4.8, SD = 21.3) and in G2 (Δ = -0.11, SD = 17.8). The difference in decrease, however, was not statistically significant (p = 0.13). Qualitative analysis underlined some MBATs benefits on emotional regulation, especially on regulation strategies. No harms related to the intervention has been observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study only partially supports benefits on MBAT on emotional regulation skills enhancement in patients with chronic disease receiving MBATs, as measured by the DERS scale. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol was registered on Clinical Trials (NCT02911207).