Clinical trial · Interventional
The Role of Emotional Processing in Improving the Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Patients
The Role of Emotional Processing in Improving the Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Patients: a Mechanistic Study of Art Therapy in Reducing Depression, Fatigue and Pain.
NCT03377816CI-TRIAL-00070647REPATcompletedN/AResults postedClinicalTrials.gov clinicaltrialsProvenance
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
The purpose of this study is to examine two mechanistic changes: emotion processing (awareness, expression and acceptance) and cholinergic anti-inflammatory processes (HRV and cytokine expression) through which an Art Therapy (AT) intervention reduces depression, pain and fatigue.
Conditions
Conditions (6)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast Cancer Female | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Depressive Symptoms | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Emotions | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Fatigue | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Inflammation | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Pain | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art Therapy | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Sham Art Therapy | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Art Therapy
- description
- The AT intervention is an 8-week group intervention comprised of 8 1.5 hour weekly sessions conducted by an experienced Art Therapist who received special training in conducting the treatment protocol as designed.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Art Therapy
- type
- SHAM_COMPARATOR
- label
- Mandala group
- description
- The comparison group will color prefabricated shapes. The same art materials as in the intervention group will be on the table as will the same instrumental music.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Sham Art Therapy
Primary outcomes (3)
- measure
- Depression Depression
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- Female
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * adult (\>18) females with initial or recurrent BC * intervention can begin 3 months after finishing chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) and one month after surgery, up until 18 months after treatment completion. * can complete assessments in Arabic or Hebrew * provides informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * male * lifetime history of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or with a pre- cancer diagnosis of fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome * active suicidal plan (will ensure immediate intervention); * dementia/other disorder that would preclude informed consent or comprehension of assessments * Individuals taking anticholinergic medications, and post myocardial infarction (6 months before recruitment) or with a pacemaker, which would render the metric of HRV invalid. * Flare-up in systemic autoimmune disease (such as arthritis, lupus or multiple sclerosis), thyroid dysfunction that requires increases in medication
References
Publications (2)
- BACKGROUNDCzamanski-Cohen J, Wiley J, Weihs KL. Protocol for the REPAT study: role of emotional processing in art therapy for breast cancer palliative care patients. BMJ Open. 2020 Nov 19;10(11):e037521. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037521. PMID 33444178
- BACKGROUNDCzamanski-Cohen J, Weihs KL. The role of emotion processing in art therapy (REPAT) intervention protocol. Front Psychol. 2023 Jun 29;14:1208901. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1208901. eCollection 2023. PMID 37457095