Developing and Piloting an Art-Based Intervention for Individuals with Schizophrenia: An Intervention Mapping Approach

Individuals with schizophrenia continue to experience persistent negative symptoms, reduced motivation, social withdrawal, and limited self-efficacy despite advances in pharmacological and psychosocial treatments. Art-based approaches have shown promise in improving emotional expression, social participation, and empowerment; however, available programs in India remain fragmented, time-limited, and lack standardization. The present study aims to develop and pilot a structured, culturally relevant art-based intervention integrated with psychosocial rehabilitation for individuals with schizophrenia using the Intervention Mapping framework.

Steps 1–3 of IM were completed through an extensive literature review, identifying key needs and formulating general and performance objectives related to reducing negative symptoms, enhancing social functioning, improving mindfulness and self-awareness, and strengthening identity and self-agency. Step 4 will involve co-design workshops with stakeholders including service users, caregivers, mental health professionals, artists, and an art therapist. These workshops will test and refine selected art activities, e.g., mandala colouring, open drawing, clay modelling, Zentangle patterning, heritage arts and collaborative art tasks, to evaluate their feasibility and acceptability. Stakeholder input will shape the structure, sequence, materials, delivery methods, and contextual considerations of the intervention. Steps 5 and 6 will focus on finalizing the intervention components and developing an implementation and evaluation plan.

The completed intervention will be pilot-tested with 40 individuals with schizophrenia to assess feasibility, acceptability, and primary and secondary outcomes of the study. By combining theory-driven design with collaborative, context-specific refinement, this study aims to produce a scalable, structured art-based psychosocial rehabilitation intervention suitable for Indian mental health and rehabilitation settings. The findings will contribute to the development of structured creative interventions addressing persistent psychosocial needs in schizophrenia.