To explore the effect of group painting art therapy on social function rehabilitation and quality of life of chronic schizophrenia patients.

Totally 104 inpatients with schizophrenia were assigned to study group with 53 cases and control group with 51 cases by random number table method.Patients in study group received group painting art therapy intervention, medication and other rehabilitation activities.While the patients in control group were only given medication and other rehabilitation activities.All patients in both groups received positive and negative symptoms scale(PANSS), schizophrenia quality of life scale(SQLS) and scale of social-skills for psychiatric inpatients(SSPI) before and after the intervention.The results were analyzed by independent sample t test.

Before treatment, there were no significant differences of the total scores and the dimensional subscores of PANSS, SQLS and SSPI between the study group and control group(all P>0.05). Compared with control group, the difference score between pre-test and post-test of PANSS ((12.26±6.87) vs (5.11±3.11), t=13.11, P<0.01) and negative symptom ((-7.96±5.44) vs (-2.82±3.47), t=-12.30, P<0.01), score of SQLS ((27.45±12.22) vs (2.41±10.68), t=-11.11, P<0.01) and score of SSPI((-20.40±8.10) vs (-0.94±8.01), t=12.31, P<0.01) in study group changed statistically(all P<0.01).

These results suggest that group painting art therapy intervention can improve the negative symptoms, the quality of life and the recovery of social function in patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Group painting art therapy; Schizophrenia; Social function; Quality of Life