An Art Therapy Self-Care Intervention with Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 DM is a chronic lifestyle disease that is becoming an epidemic in the United States. Self-care practices are vital in management of this disease and rely on patient responsibility. This mixed-methods study tested the effectiveness of group art therapy in improving diabetes self-care in six adults ages 45-75 with type 2 DM. The study consisted of six art therapy group sessions over a six week period. The study utilized pre-and post-intervention quantitative measures including HgbA1C, BP, SDSCA, and the HANDS to measure glycemic control, diabetes self-care, and depressive symptoms. Qualitative measures included a content analysis of the six individual semi-structured interviews post-intervention to assess the participants’ personal experience of the group art therapy. Results indicated that there were improvements in diabetes self-care and depressive symptoms post-intervention, and minor improvements in glycemic control. Themes of the interviews were described and supported the positive impact of the art therapy groups on the participants.