The Effects of Art-Making Intervention on Mind–body and Quality of Life in Adults with Cancer: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

To investigate the effectiveness of art-making interventions on physical and psychological outcomes, as well as quality of life (QOL), in adult patients with cancer. Seven English-language databases (PubMed, Academic Search Premier, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) and three Chinese-language databases (CNKI, WanFang, and VIP) were searched up to and including May 1, 2023. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool 2.0 and the Risk of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies-of Interventions to evaluate the certainty of evidence. The data were analyzed using Review Manager software 5.4. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022321471). The studies predominantly focused on visual art (n = 21), two specifically used performing art (n = 2), and five integrated both forms of art-making (n = 5). The pooled results showed that art-making significantly improved anxiety (SMD = − 1.12, 95