Art-Based Mindfulness (MindArt) Versus Social Engagement for Stress Reduction in People Living with Dementia and Care Partners: A Single-Blinded Randomised Crossover Trial

Background/Objectives: Mindfulness-based interventions show promise for reducing stress in people living with dementia, but rigorous evidence against active control conditions remains limited, and little is known about how to adapt mindfulness for the specific needs of this population. MindArt is an innovative eight-week art-based mindfulness programme developed specifically for people living with dementia and their care partners, which uses repetitive mark-making to facilitate present-moment engagement through doing rather than requiring abstract meditation practice.

Methods: This randomised crossover trial compared MindArt with Memory Café, an active social control for people living with dementia and their care partners. Thirty-two dyads were randomly allocated to MindArt followed by Memory Café, or Memory Café followed by MindArt, with a 10-week washout period separating the two eight-week intervention periods. Twenty-six dyads completed the trial. The primary outcome was perceived stress, measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Secondary outcomes included wellbeing, quality of life, cognitive function, and care partner burden and positive caregiving experiences. Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyse treatment effects.

Results: MindArt produced a significantly greater reduction in perceived stress for people living with dementia compared to Memory Café (GES = 0.16, p = 0.032), representing a large effect size. The marginal mean change was −2.43 points for MindArt (95% CI: −4.28, −0.59) versus 0.21 points for Memory Café (95% CI: −1.62, 2.04). No significant between-intervention differences were found for secondary outcomes for people living with dementia or for any outcome for care partners. Structured observations indicated that people living with dementia were engaged in 96% of MindArt sessions, with positive affect recorded in 74% of observations.

Conclusions: MindArt offers an accessible and enjoyable pathway to stress reduction for people living with dementia, with effects extending beyond the non-specific benefits of social participation alone, supporting its potential as a community-based post-diagnostic support option.