Childhood cancer and its treatment are associated with significant physical and psychological symptom burden, particularly during chemotherapy. Children frequently experience multiple concurrent symptoms such as nausea, pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbances, accompanied by heightened anxiety and emotional distress. These challenges highlight the need for brief, feasible, and developmentally appropriate psychosocial interventions that can be integrated into routine clinical care during active treatment.
This study is designed as a parallel-group randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of an AI-assisted interactive art therapy co-creation intervention on symptom burden, state anxiety, and emotional regulation in pediatric chemotherapy patients. The study will be conducted at the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology units of Gazi University Health Application and Research Center between February 2026 and May 2027.
The study population will consist of children aged 10-18 years who have been receiving cancer treatment for at least six months and are in the first 1-4 days of a new chemotherapy cycle. Eligible participants who meet the inclusion criteria and provide written informed consent (from both the child and parent/legal guardian) will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group using simple randomization. Randomization will be performed by an independent statistician using an online randomization tool.
The intervention group will receive an AI-assisted interactive art-based program delivered over four consecutive days during chemotherapy, with daily sessions lasting approximately 20-30 minutes. The program is structured into four thematic sessions: (1) creating a sense of safety and introduction through co-created visual artwork with AI, (2) symbolic representation of chemotherapy-related symptoms and coping strategies, (3) exploration of social support and relationships, and (4) future-oriented themes focusing on hope and emotional closure. In each session, children will co-create visual content with AI-generated imagery and complete the artwork with their own drawings.
The control group will receive standard clinical care without any additional psychosocial intervention. Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline (prior to the intervention) and after completion of the four-day program. Data collection tools include a demographic information form, the Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi), the State Anxiety Inventory for Children, and the Emotion Regulation Scale for Children.
The primary objective of this study is to evaluate whether the AI-assisted interactive art intervention reduces symptom burden and state anxiety and improves emotional regulation compared to standard care. The findings are expected to contribute to the development of innovative, short-term, and clinically applicable psychosocial interventions and to provide evidence regarding the use of AI-assisted art-based approaches in pediatric oncology care.
