The Effect of Art Therapy on Psychological and Physiological Health in Total Laryngectomy Patients

Laryngeal carcinoma (LC) is a cancer that is originated in the larynx which is responsible for three vital functions: the correct passage of air while breathing, closing off the airway during swallowing and voice production. An estimation of around 160,000 new cases of LC are reported worldwide annually, with male predominance. In Israel there are around 200 new cases of LC annually. There are more men than women with the condition and more Arab and Russian immigrants than native Jewish. Laryngeal Cancer can be treated with a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The surgical treatment for advanced LC is total laryngectomy (TL). Patients report difficulties adjusting to their stoma, communicating, coughing and eating in public, as well as shame associated with their changed appearance. Many patients state that trying to live the way they did before surgery is frustrating, yet some find hope in striving to get better and "getting back on track". Many patients state they benefited from speaking to other patients about these topics. Psychological well-being is also highly associated with social quality of life.

Laryngectomy patients suffer from dramatic disfigurement. They have a stoma - opening of the trachea at their necks - at a visible location. Patients surveyed at different stages of disease for dissatisfaction with body image and its relation to health related quality of life (HRQOL) reported that they were frequently concerned and dissatisfied with their changed appearance. Dissatisfaction also predicted lesser improvement in HRQOL, recovery and function. Observed disfigurement and dissatisfaction with appearance was shown to be moderated by the sense of social self-efficacy.

A Cochrane review of psychological interventions (C.B.T., dynamic, psycho-education and group interventions) performed with the HNC population showed ambiguous results as to the effects of interventions on improving QOL. This could be due to the difficulty of conducting verbal psychosocial interventions with a population suffering with speech impairments. Art therapy is a means with which patients can express themselves in a non-verbal way, experience creativity, address psychological and social issues, battle addictions and immerse themselves in a feeling of flow. The use of art materials is a sensorial activity that can engage the body in a relatively effortless yet meaningful way.

Studies examining the efficacy of art therapy with cancer patients, demonstrate the decrease of depressive symptoms anxiety and fatigue, moving patient's attention away from worry and pain, improving QOL, and coping capabilities. To the best of our knowledge, there has only been one published study of art therapy with laryngectomy patients. In this article, the art therapist worked with three laryngectomy patients, describing it as an ideal therapy for people with diminished communication capabilities as it provides for a safe arena for them to practice growing communication skills.

Thus, the aim of our study is to examine the psychological changes of post-laryngectomy patients following group art therapy. In order to obtain our study objectives, we propose to conduct a pilot study with Laryngectomy patients at Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. Our design is a quasi-experimental qualitative study with a pre-post design, collecting data with validated questionnaires and self-reports of the participants.