Efficacy of art therapy in enhancing mental health of clinical nurses: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionArt therapy (AT) has been widely utilized as a therapeutic approach for clinical nurses. In recent years, more and more researchers have applied art therapy to enhance clinical nurses' mental well‐being. However, many studies conducted in this area have suffered from limited sample sizes and insufficient research evidence.AimThis study aims to conduct a systematic evaluation of the efficacy of art therapy on the mental health of clinical nurses.MethodsRCTs on art therapy for clinical nurses were searched across databases such as PubMed, Embase, etc., the results were analysed using RevMan 5.3.ResultsThere were 19 RCTs encompassing 1338 clinical nurses involved in this analysis. The Meta‐analysis revealed that art therapy exhibited a significant reduction in anxiety levels (measured by the SAS) among clinical nurses, as well as depression levels and perceived stress levels (measured by the CPSS). Furthermore, art therapy demonstrated a reduction in negative coping style and an improvement in positive coping style.DiscussionFindings indicate that art therapy can reduce anxiety, depression and stress levels in clinical nurses, while also enhance positive coping styles and promote mental well‐being. Therefore, the widespread implementation of art therapy in this context is highly recommended.DeclarationI hereby declare that my article is directly relevant to the field of mental health nursing. It highlights the critical importance of psychological well‐being and supplements the evidence on The effects of art therapy on the occupational mental health of clinical nurses.