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Effects of an expressive arts-based intervention program for people with mild to moderate intellectual disability
Date Issued
2019
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Journal
ISSN
0883-6612
Citation
Ho, R. T. H., Fong, T. C. T., Chan, K. P. C., & Chau, K. K. Y. (2019). Effects of an expressive-arts-based intervention program for people with mild to moderate intellectual disability. In Annals of Behavioral Medicine (Ed.). Society of behavioral medicine 2019 annual meeting abstracts. 40th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Washington, DC (pp. 728). Oxford University Press.
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Introduction: Expressive arts-based intervention has shown therapeutic effects on the psychosocial well-being of individuals with various physical and mental conditions. The present study aimed to investigate its effectiveness in improving behavioral and psychological functioning of people with intellectual disability.
Research Design: This study adopted a matched-comparison group design. A hundred and nine adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability were recruited and assigned into the expressive arts-based intervention (n = 55) or the waitlist control (n =54) group. The intervention comprised 10 1.5-hour sessions of expressive arts-based program over 10 weeks. Participants’ levels of aberrant behavior, subjective mood, and personal well-being were assessed before and after the intervention. Subgroup analysis was conducted to evaluate the treatment heterogeneity across gender.
Results: Overall, the expressive art intervention only showed a significant effect on the feeling of anger. Subgroup analysis revealed that the intervention significantly increased the anger mood and decreased the energetic mood for the male subsample compared to control. For the female subsample, the intervention was found to significantly decrease the lethargy, irritability, and stereotypic and self-injurious behaviors compared to control. No treatment effects were found in personal well-being for any samples.
Conclusions: Findings of the present study suggest potential heterogeneous effects for the expressive art intervention on males and females with intellectual disability. The intervention has the potential to alleviate aberrant behaviors in females and facilitate expression of suppressed emotions in males.
Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the Yan Chai Hospital. We would like to express our thanks to Ms. Pandora Lee and Mr. Travis Yang for their help in study coordination. We would also like to thank the staff of the Yan Chai Hospital Madam Lo Lee Pui Ching Memorial Workshop for their help with data collection and the participants for joining this study.
Research Design: This study adopted a matched-comparison group design. A hundred and nine adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability were recruited and assigned into the expressive arts-based intervention (n = 55) or the waitlist control (n =54) group. The intervention comprised 10 1.5-hour sessions of expressive arts-based program over 10 weeks. Participants’ levels of aberrant behavior, subjective mood, and personal well-being were assessed before and after the intervention. Subgroup analysis was conducted to evaluate the treatment heterogeneity across gender.
Results: Overall, the expressive art intervention only showed a significant effect on the feeling of anger. Subgroup analysis revealed that the intervention significantly increased the anger mood and decreased the energetic mood for the male subsample compared to control. For the female subsample, the intervention was found to significantly decrease the lethargy, irritability, and stereotypic and self-injurious behaviors compared to control. No treatment effects were found in personal well-being for any samples.
Conclusions: Findings of the present study suggest potential heterogeneous effects for the expressive art intervention on males and females with intellectual disability. The intervention has the potential to alleviate aberrant behaviors in females and facilitate expression of suppressed emotions in males.
Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the Yan Chai Hospital. We would like to express our thanks to Ms. Pandora Lee and Mr. Travis Yang for their help in study coordination. We would also like to thank the staff of the Yan Chai Hospital Madam Lo Lee Pui Ching Memorial Workshop for their help with data collection and the participants for joining this study.
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