AI Article Synopsis

  • Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is being explored as a supportive treatment for cancer patients, focusing on both psychological and physical wellbeing through a 6-week virtual program.
  • Participants reported full satisfaction and significant reductions in anxiety and distress, alongside improvements in joy, indicating potential benefits of DMT in oncology care.
  • The study highlights DMT's role in enhancing physical activity, creative expression, mental health, and social connections, suggesting it could be an effective addition to integrative cancer care approaches.

Article Abstract

Background: Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is increasingly used as a complementary treatment to address psychological and physical wellbeing. However, it is unknown how it can be leveraged in adult cancer care. This mixed methods program evaluation aimed to assess patient-reported benefits and satisfaction with the virtual DMT in an academic oncology setting.

Methods: We developed, implemented, and evaluated a 6-week virtual, synchronous DMT program aiming to improve physical health, address mental distress, and foster social connection for cancer patients. We used deidentified program evaluation data to assess impact of DMT on patient-reported outcomes and patients' satisfaction with the DMT program. Pre- and post-session data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired t-test. Qualitative data were captured through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Results from 39 participants (mean age 64.7 ± 9.8), majority female (89.7%) with a history of breast cancer (43.6%), showed high satisfaction (100%) and unanimous program recommendation (100%). Significant improvements were noted in anxiety (- 0.42 ± 0.76, p = .009), distress (- 0.35 ± 0.80, p = .036), and sense of joy (0.73 ± 1.18, p = .004), with a non-significant trend in increased physical activity (0.38 ± 0.98, p = .057). Thematic findings indicated that DMT participation (1) facilitated engagement in physical activity for improved physical health, (2) fostered creative expression, (3) improved mental state, and (4) helped build social connections and support.

Conclusion: Our DMT program shows promise as a component of integrative cancer care. The mixed-method evaluation provides insightful information to generate hypotheses for future RCT studies aiming to evaluate the specific effects of DMT on patient experience and outcomes.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11234514PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08591-3DOI Listing

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