A retrospective study on the impact of music and painting dual art therapy on cognitive and social functions of inpatients with chronic schizophrenia

This study explores the effect of music and painting dual art therapy on the cognitive and social functions of hospitalized chronic schizophrenia patients and evaluates its clinical value as an adjunctive treatment. A retrospective study design was used to collect clinical data from chronic schizophrenia patients hospitalized between January 2023 and January 2025. Based on whether they received music and painting dual art therapy, patients were divided into an intervention group and a routine care group. Propensity score matching was used for 1:1 matching to include 116 patients (58 in each group). Matching variables included age, sex, disease duration, education level, etc. The intervention group received 4 weeks of systematic music and painting dual art therapy in addition to routine care. The assessment indicators included positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS), cognitive function (MoCA, Wisconsin card sorting test [WCST]), social function (social disability screening schedule), activities of daily living, and quality of life (schizophrenia quality of life scale). Changes before and after the intervention and group differences were compared. The baseline characteristics of the 2 groups were balanced. After matching, no significant differences were found between the 2 groups in terms of age (routine group: 42.3 ± 10.2 years vs dual group: 42.7 ± 10.4 years, P = .853), sex, disease duration, education level, or age at first hospitalization (P >.05 for all). After the intervention, the dual art therapy group showed significant improvements over the routine care group in multiple indicators, including PANSS-positive and negative symptoms, MoCA total score, WCST correct responses, perseverative errors, categories completed, social function score, quality of life, and activities of daily living (P <.01). For example, MoCA score increased from 17.5 before the intervention to 23.0, WCST categories completed increased to 4.3 ± 1.4, and PANSS-negative symptom scores decreased significantly, indicating a positive impact of dual art therapy on cognitive and social functions. Music and painting dual art therapy can serve as an effective adjunctive intervention for hospitalized chronic schizophrenia patients. It significantly improves cognitive function, mental symptoms, and social adaptability, enhancing quality of life with high feasibility and potential for widespread application.