Creative Arts II Study

Dartmouth Health

Status: Completed

Conditions: Epilepsy

Treatments: Other: Visual arts intervention; Other: Creative writing intervention; Other: Music intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT03994718

D19124

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of music, visual art, or creative writing on quality of life measures for epilepsy patients.

Full description

Qualifying patients admitted to Epilepsy Monitoring Unit will be approached for participation in the study. Patients who consent will be randomly assigned to work with one of three creative artists (visual artist, creative writer, or therapeutic musician. The assigned artist will provide 1 intervention while the patient is admitted and 4 follow-up interventions after discharge from the hospital. Follow-up sessions will be conducted remotely, either by phone or over the internet.

Subjects will be asked to complete study questionnaires before and after the first art intervention, and again after the last follow-up session. The study seeks to measure the impact of arts interventions on quality of life. Secondary objectives include the effects of the interventions on seizure frequency and EEG spike generation, as well as the impact of creative arts interventions on patients diagnosed with non-epileptic events during hospitalization.*

Enrollment: 48 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Age > 18 years old
2. Scheduled for admission to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Epilepsy Monitoring Unit for diagnostic Video/EEG monitoring
3. Capable of giving informed consent.
4. Able to follow instructions

Exclusion criteria

1. Active psychiatric illness that would interfere with participation with the artist.
2. Active general medical condition that would impair the participant's consciousness or ability to participate.
3. Any other reason that, in the opinion of the investigator, would exclude the participant from successful participation in the study.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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48 participants in 3 patient groups

Music

Experimental group

Description:

The musician will either offer music that can either be played for the participant or an instrument so they can experience playing themselves. The duration of the intervention will be determined by participant interest and tolerance, but not to exceed 60 minutes. The outpatient music intervention will consist of providing a recording of similar music for the participant to listen to for at least 30 minutes per week, along a with telephone call session with the music therapist.

Treatment:

Other: Music intervention

Visual art

Experimental group

Description:

The creative visual artist will assess interest in spending time using the materials provided. Participants will be offered watercolor painting, drawing, or adult coloring. There will be a guided activity based on their art making preference. A standardized prompt will be utilized for both writing and visual art sessions. The duration of the intervention will be determined by participant interest and tolerance, but not to exceed 60 minutes. For remote follow-up sessions, participants will be supplied with a small art kit to use at home.

Treatment:

Other: Visual arts intervention

Creative writing

Experimental group

Description:

The writer will ask the participant about their interests and experiences in writing or storytelling. The following options are offered; introduction to journaling, storytelling or writing exercises with prompts to get started, interactive writing or storytelling activities. For participants who are unable to write or prefer not to, the writer can scribe their words on a laptop and print them out. The duration of the intervention will be determined by participant interest and tolerance, but not to exceed 60 minutes. For follow-up sessions, participants will be supplied with a journal.

Treatment:

Other: Creative writing intervention