Evaluating the psychosocial benefits of mindfulness-based art therapy for breast cancer patients: a preliminary study
BMC Psychology August 4, 2026 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-05154-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 29 |
| Population | Breast cancer patients |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based art therapy (MAT) |
| Duration | Eight weekly 3-hour MAT sessions; control group attended a single 3-hour seminar |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based art therapy significantly improved coping attitudes, cancer empowerment, and grief symptoms in breast cancer patients, but did not impact general health. The authors suggest MAT holds potential psychosocial benefits and call for more comprehensive trials. |
Abstract
Abstract This preliminary study evaluates the psychosocial benefits of mindfulness-based art therapy (MAT) for breast cancer patients. A quasi-experimental design was used with 14 participants in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. The experimental group attended eight weekly 3-hour MAT sessions. The control group attended a single 3-hour seminar on coping strategies during cancer, which was conducted after the completion of post-test data collection. Pre- and post-intervention measures assessed coping attitudes, cancer empowerment, grief symptoms, and general health. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The results indicated that MAT significantly improved coping attitudes, cancer empowerment, and grief symptoms but did not impact general health. These findings suggest that MAT holds potential psychosocial benefits for breast cancer patients, particularly in enhancing cancer empowerment, coping strategies, and reducing grief symptoms. Future research should focus on more comprehensive trials to systematically validate the efficacy of MAT in oncology settings.