Artistic activities and psychological well-being perceived by patients with spinal cord injury

This study aimed to determine whether engaging in artistic activities affected the psychological well-being of patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI). 19 hospital patients with SCI regularly engaged in arts-based activities such as painting, woodworking and working with clay. The psychological general well-being index (PGWBI) was used to measure the subjective well-being of participants during two periods. The first period coincided with the reactivation phase, in which individual physical and psychological health conditions began to improve, allowing them to participate in the activities; the second phase coincided with the pre-discharge period, after the patients carried out the artistic activities. The results showed a statistically significant change of the PGWBI global score from a moderate distress level to the absence of distress, while 4 domains out of the 6 PGWBI domains (general health, vitality, depressed mood and positive well-being) demonstrated a statistically significant change.