Expressive Arts-based Intervention for Adults With Age-related Visual Impairment

Unlocking Limitations Through Arts: A Mixed Methods Study on the Effectiveness of an Expressive Arts-based Intervention on Psychosocial Wellbeing of Adults With Age-related Visual Impairment

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is an age-related eye disease resulting in vision loss. Persons with AMD not only experience a gradual loss of ability in independent living, but also profound impairment in psychosocial well-being.The multimodal, expressive arts-based intervention (EXABI) that emphasizes imagination and creativity can be an engaging, enjoyable, and safe process of empowerment. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and process of an expressive arts-based intervention in enhancing psychosocial wellness and adjustment to gradual vision loss of persons with AMD. This current study will adopt a 2-arm randomized controlled design with treatment-as-usual control. Upon screening for inclusion exclusion criteria, baseline data will be collected; and eligible participants will be randomized into either an 8-week Expressive Arts-based intervention group or Treatment-As-Usual control group.

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is an age-related eye disease resulting in vision loss. Persons with AMD not only experience a gradual loss of ability in independent living, but also profound impairment in psychosocial well-being. Given the impacts of irreversible visual loss, persons with AMD need to actively adapt to changes and renegotiate supportive relations to maintain well-being. Psychosocial enhancement may buffer against the deteriorating quality of life, psychological distress, and poor adjustments among adults with AMD. The multimodal, expressive arts-based intervention (EXABI) that emphasizes imagination and creativity can be an engaging, enjoyable, and safe process of empowerment. The EXABI could help bypass or expand the limit of vision during interaction, and broaden the coping repertoire of those with AMD.

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and process of an expressive arts-based intervention in enhancing psychosocial wellness and adjustment to gradual vision loss of persons with AMD. Primary outcomes include psychosocial adaptation, and vision-related quality of life; and secondary outcomes including symptoms of depression and anxiety, resilience, social support, and imagination as well as associations between psychosocial variables, participants' experience in the group, and factors affecting the effectiveness of the EXABI will be explored.

This proposed study adopts a randomized controlled trial with mixed methods design. To address the research objectives, data collected will be triangulated and interpreted simultaneously to address the research questions. Outcome measures will be assessed on four time-points (T0: Pre-intervention at baseline; T1: Post-intervention; T2: 3-month post-intervention and; T3: 6-month post-intervention) to assess the immediate and sustained effects of the expressive arts-based intervention on psychosocial wellbeing of the participants. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with a random subsample of 30 participants from the expressive arts group at T1 and T3 to collect fine-grained, information to explore their overall experience of participation in the intervention and how the experience has shaped their coping experience in terms of stress management, self-care challenges, and to reestablish severed social connections. Results of the qualitative interviews will be used to enhance the interpretation and understanding of the quantitative findings.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants are community-dwelling, Chinese-speaking adults aged between 50 and 80, with the diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration in one or both eyes of all different etiologies

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to understand the Chinese language, as well as a diagnosis of total blindness, presence of other significant physical, psychological, and cognitive comorbidities that would hinder the participant from completing the study will be excluded.