{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T22:02:40Z","timestamp":1788472960581,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754092800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":32,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100015652","name":"Barts Charity","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["G-002063"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["G-002063"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100015652","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["bmjph"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,9]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,7]]},"abstract":"\n Introduction<\/jats:title>\n Burnout and mental distress are prevalent among healthcare professionals (HCPs), particularly in acute hospital settings. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a structured group art therapy intervention in reducing burnout and associated mental distress in HCPs.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n We conducted a multicentre, unblinded, randomised, parallel assignment, waitlist-controlled trial in four National Health Service secondary care hospitals in London, UK, between 4 May 2023 and 5 March 2024. A total of 129 HCPs with moderate-to-severe risk of burnout or levels of perceived stress were randomly assigned to either group art therapy (6\u2009weekly 90-min sessions) or a waitlist control.<\/jats:p>\n The primary outcome was change in emotional exhaustion as a core dimension of burnout, measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey. Secondary outcomes were the other two burnout dimensions: depersonalisation and personal accomplishment, as well as perceived stress, measured on the perceived stress scale, anxiety, assessed on the generalised anxiety disorder seven-item scale, and depression, measured on the eight-item patient health questionnaire depression scale. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and 6\u2009weeks postintervention\/control period. Intervention group outcomes were also assessed at 3-month follow-up.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n Primary outcome data were obtained from 115 (89%) of 129 participants, who represented a range of clinical specialties and professions. Emotional exhaustion scores were significantly lower in the intervention group compared with the control group at 6\u2009weeks (adjusted mean difference: 4.8; 95%\u2009CI 2.4 to 7.3; p<0.001). Significantly more favourable scores were also found in depersonalisation, perceived stress, anxiety and depression in the intervention group. Gains were sustained at 3-month follow-up.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Six weekly sessions of group art therapy can significantly reduce burnout risk and mental distress in HCPs from different professional backgrounds in acute hospital settings. Wider implementation of the intervention should be considered.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Trial registration number<\/jats:title>\n \n ClinicalTrials.gov ID:\n NCT05728086<\/jats:ext-link>\n .\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjph-2024-002251","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,3]],"date-time":"2025-08-03T14:05:40Z","timestamp":1754229940000},"page":"e002251","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Art therapy to reduce burnout and mental distress in healthcare professionals in acute hospitals: a randomised controlled trial"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"3","clinical-trial-number":[{"clinical-trial-number":"nct05728086","registry":"10.18810\/clinical-trials-gov"},{"clinical-trial-number":"nct05728086","registry":"10.18810\/clinical-trials-gov"}],"author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2698-6050","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Megan","family":"Tjasink","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Services Development Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK"},{"name":"Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5179-2464","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Catherine Elizabeth","family":"Carr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Services Development Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK"},{"name":"East London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7830-4563","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paul","family":"Bassett","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Statsconsultancy Ltd, Amersham, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gehan","family":"Soosaipillai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guy's and St Thomas\u2019 Hospitals NHS Trust, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1995-5408","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dennis","family":"Ougrin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"East London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK"},{"name":"Youth Resilience Unit, Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stefan","family":"Priebe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026010703060208000_3.2.e002251.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.1037\/h0086411","article-title":"The staff burn-out syndrome in alternative institutions","volume":"12","author":"Freudenberger","year":"1975","journal-title":"Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice"},{"key":"2026010703060208000_3.2.e002251.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"114501","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychres.2022.114501","article-title":"Mental health of healthcare workers of Latin American countries: a review of studies published during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"311","author":"Rosales Vaca","year":"2022","journal-title":"Psychiatry Res"},{"key":"2026010703060208000_3.2.e002251.3","first-page":"686","article-title":"Coronavirus disease 2019 aftermath: psychological trauma in ICU healthcare workers","volume":"28","author":"Wahlster","year":"2022","journal-title":"Curr Opin Crit Care"},{"key":"2026010703060208000_3.2.e002251.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eclinm.2021.100808","article-title":"COVID-19 and health care workers burnout: A call for global action","volume":"35","author":"Kaushik","year":"2021","journal-title":"EClinicalMedicine"},{"key":"2026010703060208000_3.2.e002251.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.2147\/LRA.S240564","article-title":"Burnout in Healthcare Workers: Prevalence, Impact and Preventative Strategies","volume":"13","author":"De Hert","year":"2020","journal-title":"Local Reg Anesth"},{"key":"2026010703060208000_3.2.e002251.6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-022-12993-5","article-title":"Chronic stress, behavioral tendencies, and determinants of health behaviors in nurses: a mixed-methods approach","volume":"22","author":"Heuel","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"2026010703060208000_3.2.e002251.7","unstructured":"WHO . 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