The contribution of art therapy in poorly controlled youth with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Objective To evaluate the effect of intensive art therapy in youth with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Methods A retrospective report of the characteristics and outcomes of all patients who were offered to receive individual art therapy sessions because of behavioral difficulties. Results The study population included 29 participants. The main behavioral difficulties were needle phobia and lack of compliance with nutritional recommendations or with insulin administration. The intervention group included 16 patients, with a mean age of 9.3±2.5 years, average intervention length of 0.77±0.41 years, and long-term data of 2.27±1.13 years. The control group included 13 patients, with a mean age of 9.3±3.4 years. Improvement was observed in 56% of the case group and in 23% of the control group. Art therapy was associated with a decrease in hemoglobin A1c in the intervention group compared with a similar control group (-0.79%, ±0.24%; r=0.17, p=0.025). Conclusions The addition of intensive art therapy for poorly controlled youth with T1DM may improve their glycemic control.