Art Therapy for Caregivers of Young Patients Undergoing Bone Marrow Transplant for Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

• Test the effects of an art therapy intervention on emotional distress in caregivers of pediatric patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation for cancer.
• Describe pro-social interactions of caregivers of pediatric patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation for cancer.
• Describe the illness experience of caregivers and how it is impacted by the art therapy intervention.
• Describe the caregivers' current health-related quality of life and life meaning prior to pediatric patients initiation of bone marrow transplantation for cancer.
• Determine the effect size for calculating the sample needed for a randomized clinical trial.

OUTLINE: Caregivers undergo art therapy over 60 minutes once a week for 6 weeks. Each session comprises developing trust through the expression of support, affirmation, and collaboration; creating intimacy through attunement; exploring affective states; integrative processing through the creation of an autobiographical narrative; and identifying opportunities for continued exploration and resources that support the client, should that exploration become necessary.

Caregivers also complete a Meaning of Life Questionnaire and a Family Quality of Life Scale at baseline and at the end of week 6.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Family caregiver identified by the patient's physician as most involved in the patient care including, but not limited to, the following:

• Mother
• Father
• Grandmother
• Grandfather
• Aunt
• Uncle
• Older sibling
• One caregiver per pediatric patient
• No caregivers who are part of an institutional system and are temporarily fulfilling the custodial role of the patient (i.e., foster parents)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Able to speak and read English and/or Spanish
• No uncontrolled mental health and/or physical condition

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• Not specified