The Impact of Adding Art Therapy to a Mindfulness Enhancement Training with a Medical Student
Eileen Douglas, Cass Dykeman
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A medical student |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based art therapy Mindfulness enhancement training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based art therapy had a moderate effect on mindfulness scores in a single medical student, and produced a slight, non-significant increase in sense of coherence. The student found mindfulness practice with and without art equally helpful. The authors suggest the approach may increase mindfulness and sense of coherence in medical students, but call for further research. |
Abstract
Healthcare professionals play an important role in the delivery of high-quality patient care. The medical students of today are the physicians of tomorrow, although medical student training is notably challenging. Increased rates of suicidal ideation and self-reported distress during medical school training have been identified in the literature. Mindfulness-based interventions have been explored with various populations, including medical students. Mindfulness-based art therapy interventions have also been found to be effective among various populations; however, no study has explored the impact of adding art to mindfulness enhancement training with medical students specifically. This is the first study to investigate the impact of adding art to mindfulness enhancement training with a medical student. Results from this study found mindfulness-based art therapy had a moderate effect on mindfulness scores. Mindfulness-based art therapy also demonstrated a slight, though not significant, increase in sense of coherence scores. Results indicated the medical student found mindfulness practice with art and without art equally helpful in promoting mindfulness. Materials identified as helpful in promoting mindfulness were chalk pastels, watercolor, graphite pencils, and tissue paper. Analysis of results suggest mindfulness based-art therapy may be used to increase mindfulness and sense of coherence in medical students. Further research is necessary and this study presents implications for future research and practice in art therapy.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator | 2001 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program | 2008 | Prospective case series | n = 19 |
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... | 2009 | Case study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cites 12
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2009
- Effect of Mindfulness‐Based stress reduction in rheumatoid arthritis patients Arthritis Care & Research September 28, 2007
- Preliminary evaluation of a brief mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention for mental health professionals Australasian Psychiatry February 1, 2016
- Changes in cerebral blood flow and anxiety associated with an 8-week mindfulness programme in women with breast cancer. Stress and Health December 2012
and 7 more in the library