SUMMARY
Background: Stroke is the main cause of complex adult disability in Britain. Stroke rehabilitation is typically task orientated, focusing on physical and functional independence. Psychosocial consequences of stroke are serious and mediate recovery, influencing family relationships, community reintegration and quality of life. Therefore, improving psychosocial outcomes after stroke could improve overall recovery.
Creative arts programmes are increasingly used to address psychosocial outcomes in long-term and mental health conditions. These programmes focus on positive influences of engagement in creative art activities facilitated by artists. However, there is little research into effects of creative engagement on psychosocial outcomes after stroke.
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to:
Conduct a feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) to test the effects of a participatory visual arts intervention compared to art viewing on psychosocial outcomes following stroke in order to assess effect size for sample size calculation in a full RCT.
The effects of the CEI will be examined in a randomised controlled feasibility trial, which will be run at two stroke rehabilitation units in NHS Tayside and will explore the impact of the intervention on a range of psychosocial outcomes.
Patients meeting inclusion criteria will be randomised to a CEI group or an attention control group. The CEI group will receive a visual arts intervention of 4-8 sessions during in-patient rehabilitation. The control group will receive an art portfolio to view after randomisation and baseline assessment, with information about community opportunities to engage in art. The groups will be compared on selected psychosocial outcomes. Findings will indicate the potential magnitude and direction of change to allow for sample size requirements in development of a subsequent randomised control trial to examine effectiveness of the CEI.
