Secure care hospital evaluation of art therapy

INTERVENTION: Participants will be randomised on a one‐to‐one basis to receive either interpersonal art therapy or be placed on a wait list to receive interpersonal art therapy after they complete their trial participation. Randomisation will be stratified by diagnosis of psychosis and sex. The interpersonal art therapy comprises 12 sessions with up to 3 additional sessions (a total of 15 possible sessions) which look at personal goals, coping and self‐managed, life events and imagined futures. Therapy sessions will be audio recorded. The recordings will be analysed as part of the assessment of the therapeutic process. An assessment of the frequency and severity of aggressive behaviours will be completed weekly after the completion of therapy up to 38 weeks post‐randomisation. During the trial, participants will complete two assessments of the quality of life, and a measure of distress associated with psychiatric symptoms at 19 and 38 weeks post‐randomisation. At 19 weeks and 38 weeks post‐randomisations, healthcare staff will complete proxy measures of the participant s quality of life, and healthcare resource use. After the 38 week follow‐up has been completed, participants will be offered the opportunity to participate in the interpersonal art therapy. A subset of participants will also be asked if they want to take part in an interview to assess their experiences of taking part in interpersonal art therapy. Interviews will last approximately 1 hour. Therapists will also be asked to take part in interviews to assess their experience of providing therapy and its implications for clinical practice. CONDITION: Learning Disorders ; Mental and Behavioural Disorders PRIMARY OUTCOME: Aggressive behaviour is measured using the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) at week 19, weekly between week 19‐38, and week 38 SECONDARY OUTCOME: 1. Health Economic analysis will be measured using the EQ5D, the Recovery Quality of Life Scale, and a resource use questionnaire, at baseline, week 19, and week 38; 2. Patient distress attributed to psychiatric symptoms is measured using the brief symptom inventory and is measure at week 19 and week 38 INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. An inpatient in an NHS secure hospital/unit/service with a Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire (LSDQ) score of 57 or below (indicating the presence of learning disability/borderline intellectual functioning/learning difficulty). 2. Age 18 to 60 years (within the age range for the service). 3. Able to give informed consent. 4. A score between 1 and 4 on question 1 of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale Working Age Adult or Learning Disability version (HONOS‐WAA or HONOS‐LD) 5. The patient’s involvement in the study is supported by their responsible clinician and/or multidisciplinary team (MDT).