Cancer treatment in children is determined according to the type of cancer, its stage and
the child's general health condition. Treatment options include the following;
chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, immunotherapy and targeted therapy. The following
problems are observed in children receiving chemotherapy in the short and long term:
fever, fatigue, weight loss, pain, fatigue, anxiety, nausea and vomiting, changes in
sleep and mood. 91% of oncology patients have benefited from Complementary and
Alternative Medicine (CAM), such as art, to improve their general health, and painting,
painting, music and dance, and mind-body therapies have been shown to have positive
effects on the quality of life in pediatric oncology patients.
Art therapy in the pediatric oncology patient population. The American Art Therapy
Association (AATA) (2013) defines art therapy as healing. Increasing the physical, mental
and emotional well-being of individuals is considered as creative interventions of art
production. These interventions have been widely used as alternative treatments for a
variety of conditions, including cancer.
Although there is a significant amount of research on the effects of art therapies, there
is a lack of research in the existing literature regarding their specific effects on
symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, pain, and anxiety. However, the effects on quality of
life are generally given more attention.
Among the art therapies; Mandala art therapy is a type of art therapy using circular
patterns and symbols. In this therapy, participants explore their inner world and express
their emotions by creating their own mandates. It gives individuals the opportunity to
concretize the complex and abstract thoughts in their minds caused by their painful
experiences. Emotions and thoughts are spontaneously embedded in artistic products such
as sculpture, music, painting, marbling and mandala. Mandala therapy improves creativity
and problem-solving skills by increasing emotional awareness and expression.
As a result, mandala art therapy can be used in the treatment of many different problems
such as stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and chronic disease, as well as in the
management of symptoms.
To determine the sample size of the study, the power of the study was calculated with the
G-Power 3.1.9.2 program using the confidence interval and effect size parameters. 80%
power, 95% confidence interval and effect size of 0.5 or more. In the G-Power 3.1.9.2
program, the total sample size was calculated as 48 (24+24) based on 0.05 significance,
0.80 large effect and 80% power. However, considering the 10% loss and taking into
account the parametric test assumption, the sample number of each group was determined as
30 people in the intervention group and 30 people in the control group, for a total of 60
people.