Background: Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental health condition affecting approximately 1% of the global population. Negative symptoms, experienced by 50–90% of individuals, significantly impact quality of life and social skills. Current treatments often fall short in addressing these symptoms. Pottery art therapy, a creative and non-pharmacological approach, is investigated as an adjunctive treatment for chronic schizophrenia. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of pottery art therapy in improving negative symptoms, quality of life, and social skills in individuals with chronic schizophrenia. The study included 240 participants, aged 20–45 years, with a duration of illness not less than 3 years. Participants were randomly allocated to either pottery art therapy sessions (15 sessions, 60 minutes each) or treatment as usual. Outcome measures included the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for negative symptoms, Self-report Quality of Life Measure (SQLS) for quality of life, and Social Skills Assessment Screening Scale (SSASS) for social skills. Results: The study found that pottery art therapy demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing negative symptoms and improving quality of life and social skills in individuals with chronic schizophrenia. The intervention group showed notable improvements in PANSS, SQLS, and SSASS scores compared to the control group. Conclusion: This RCT supports the potential of pottery art therapy as a valuable adjunctive treatment approach for chronic schizophrenia. The findings suggest that pottery art therapy can be a useful addition to existing treatments, improving negative symptoms, quality of life, and social skills in individuals with chronic schizophrenia.
Praveena et al. (Sun,) studied this question.