Objective: The incidence of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (DM), which is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood, is increasing all over the world and brings a series of physical, emotional, and social problems. In this study, we aimed to observe the effects of active expressionist art therapy techniques on depression, anxiety, quality of life and diabetes management in adolescents with Type 1 DM.
Materials and Methods: This study included 21 volunteer adolescents with Type 1 DM between the ages of 13-18. All adolescents were evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Quality of Life Scale for Children (PedsQL). Then, the program of art therapy techniques was carried out for 12 weeks for 90 minutes a day for every week. Pre-test scales were repeated after the application. HbA1c levels were compared before and after the art therapy techniques program without classification.
Results: In this study, 13 girls (61.9%), 8 boys (38.1%) were included. When the BDI, BAI and PedsQL scores were compared before and after the art therapy techniques in Type1 DM adolescents, a statistically significant difference was found in all scales (p=0.003, p<0.001,p<0.001,p<0.001,p=0.001, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in HbA1c averages before and after the application (p=0.108).
Conclusion: In this study, after the application of arts therapy techniques, there was a significant decrease in depression and anxiety levels. After the application, improvement in the quality of life scores was found. With this study, it was pointed out that art therapy techniques can be used for diabetic adolescents to self-expression, reduce negative thoughts, express emotions and increase self-esteem.