A Novel Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy (MCAT) Supervision

NCT03440606 | Unknown DMC

• 1 other identifier: IRB-2015-04-021
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Background: The need for empathy and the difficulties of coping with morality when caring for the dying and the bereaved pose great psychological and spiritual strains. End-of-Life (EoL) care professionals including doctors, nurses and social workers are particularly prone to burnout given the intense emotional and existential nature of their work. Supervision is one important way to provide adequate support that focuses on both professional and personal competencies in working with death and loss. Previous research has provided strong evidence that support the inclusion of art therapy within supervision for it had effectively reduced burnout and enhanced emotional regulation. Combining the practice of mindfulness in art-therapy based supervision has immense potential to create a dynamic platform for self-care and collegial support, of which could ultimately cultivate sustained resilience, compassion and growth among those immersed the fields of hospice and palliative care. Methods/Design: A randomized wait-list control trial design. 60 EoL care professionals were randomly allocated into one of two groups: (i) Intervention group (MCAT Supervision), and (ii) Control group (MCAT Supervision will be provided after the intervention group completed all supervision sessions). Both quantitative and qualitative outcomes were assessed at baseline, immediately after intervention, and four weeks post intervention. Primary outcome measure included level of burnout. Secondary outcomes included death attitude and fear of death, emotional awareness and regulation, resilience, compassion, and overall quality of life. Qualitative data were analyzed using Framework method. Discussion: The integration of art and mindfulness practice to process the needs of professional EoL caregivers for self-care is a scarcely explored area in the field of hospice and palliative care in Singapore and in the international context. This pilot study proposes to develop and test a novel Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy (MCAT) Supervision for professional EoL caregivers. The expected outcome would generate new knowledge contributing to advancements in both theories and practice in hospice and palliative care for Singapore and across the globe.

Conditions

End-of-life Care

Keywords

Randomized Wait-List Control Trial; Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy Supervision; End-of-Life Care; Self-Care

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change from Baseline 'Maslach Burnout Inventory- General Survey (MBI-GS)' at immediate after intervention [T2] and 4 weeks follow-up [T3].

  This tool measures changes in level of burnout.

  It will be assessed at baseline [T1], immediately after intervention [T2], and four weeks post intervention [T3].

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Change from Baseline 'Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R)' at immediate after intervention [T2] and 4 weeks follow-up [T3].

  It will be assessed at baseline [T1], immediately after intervention [T2], and four weeks post intervention [T3].

• Change from Baseline 'Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)' at immediate after intervention [T2] and 4 weeks follow-up [T3].

  It will be assessed at baseline [T1], immediately after intervention [T2], and four weeks post intervention [T3].

• Change at Baseline 'Ego Resilience Scale-Revised (ER89-R)' at immediate after intervention [T2] and 4 weeks follow-up [T3].

  It will be assessed at baseline [T1], immediately after intervention [T2], and four weeks post intervention [T3].

• Change at Baseline 'Self-Compassion Scale Short-Form (SCS-SF)' at immediate after intervention [T2] and 4 weeks follow-up [T3].

  It will be assessed at baseline [T1], immediately after intervention [T2], and four weeks post intervention [T3].

• Change at Baseline 'World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-8 (WHOQoL-8)' at immediate after intervention [T2] and 4 weeks follow-up [T3].

  It will be assessed at baseline [T1], immediately after intervention [T2], and four weeks post intervention [T3].

Study Arms (2)

MCAT Supervision Group

EXPERIMENTAL

The 6-week 3-hour Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy (MCAT) supervision will include intervention elements of brief psycho-education, weekly mindfulness mediation that serve as a foundation to foster creative art making, reflective writing, group sharing and discussion.

Behavioral: Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy Supervision

Waitlist Control Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Those assigned to the waitlist control group will not receive Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy (MCAT) supervision until approximately 1.5 month later; equivalent intervention and assessment procedures will be administered.

Behavioral: Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy Supervision

Interventions

Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy Supervision BEHAVIORAL

Each "Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy Supervision" group will focus on 3 major areas that cultivate self-care, resilience and communal support. The specific structure include: (1) Self-care and Stress Management in Week 1 and 2 (i.e., concept of mindfulness and art, the symbol of the mandala and its use in self-care, mindfulness practice and art); (2) Sharing of Clinical Expertise and Experiences in Week 3 and 4 (i.e., Create mindful art about one meaningful and one challenging patient/client interaction with small group discussion); and (3) Understanding Grief and Meaning-Making in Week 5 and 6 (i.e., Create mindful art representing a clinical encounter of mortality, and meaning-making from reflection on grief).

MCAT Supervision Group; Waitlist Control Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Frontline EoL caregivers including doctors, nurses, social workers and allied health professionals
• Currently working in field of hospice and palliative care
• Fluent in both written and verbal English
• Able to provide informed consent
• Not suffering from major mental health problems

You may not qualify if:

• Not fluent in both written and verbal English
• Unable to provide informed consent
• Suffering from major mental health problems

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Nanyang Technological University: lead
• HCA Hospice Care: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

HCA Hospice Care

Singapore, 308437, Singapore

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Potash JS, Chan F, Ho AH, Wang XL, Cheng C. A Model for Art Therapy-Based Supervision for End-of-Life Care Workers in Hong Kong. Death Stud. 2015 Jan-Jun;39(1-5):44-51. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2013.859187. Epub 2014 Jun 23.

  PMID: 24870589 BACKGROUND

• Ho AHY, Tan-Ho G, Ngo TA, Ong G, Chong PH, Dignadice D, Potash J. A Novel Mindful-Compassion Art-Based Therapy for Reducing Burnout and Promoting Resilience Among Healthcare Workers: Findings From a Waitlist Randomized Control Trial. Front Psychol. 2021 Oct 21;12:744443. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.744443. eCollection 2021.

  PMID: 34744918 DERIVED

• Ho AHY, Tan-Ho G, Ngo TA, Ong G, Chong PH, Dignadice D, Potash J. A novel mindful-compassion art therapy (MCAT) for reducing burnout and promoting resilience for end-of-life care professionals: a waitlist RCT protocol. Trials. 2019 Jul 8;20(1):406. doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3533-y.

  PMID: 31287010 DERIVED

Study Officials

• Andy Hau Yan Ho, PhD, EdD

  Nanyang Technological University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or waitlist control group. Those assigned to in the intervention group will attend 6 weekly Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy supervision led by a credentialed art therapist and an experienced mindfulness practitioner at the training facilities of HCA. Each session will last for 3 hours and each group will consists of 15 participants. Outcome assessments will be conducted at two-time-points: immediately after intervention \[T2\] and four weeks post intervention \[T3\]. Those assigned to the waitlist control group will receive no intervention until approximately three month later; equivalent intervention and assessment procedures will be administered.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 14, 2018
• First Posted: February 22, 2018
• Study Start: June 1, 2015
• Primary Completion: June 1, 2019
• Study Completion: June 1, 2019
• Last Updated: February 5, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SG (1)