The Effect of Art Therapy on Cognitive Performance Among Ethnically Diverse Older Adults

This study examined the effect of art therapy on the cognitive performance of a multisite, ethnically diverse sample ( N = 91) of older adults. Participants were recruited from several U.S. facilities that included a community center, a retirement center, an adult daycare, an assisted living facility, and a skilled nursing facility. Cognitive training strategies served as a framework for the study's 10-week art therapy intervention protocol. A t test and a univariate linear regression indicated, with a medium effect size (d = .064), that the art therapy treatment was associated with significantly improved cognitive performance. Other findings suggest that session duration and art therapy approach significantly correlated with improved cognitive performance. Acknowledgments Editor's Note: Amanda Alders Pike, PhD, ATR-BC, is a Clinical Art Therapist with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL. The author would like to acknowledge the following art therapists who participated in the study: Laura Schmid, MA, ATR, LPC; Danielle Braxton MA, ATR-BC, AP-BC; Poppy Spencer, MS, ATR, CPC; and Raquel Farrell-Kirk, ATR-BC.