Poetry therapy in patients with advanced cancer - a mixed-methods pilot study
Vehviläinen, Anna-Riikka; Nyfors, Mervi; Pöyhiä, Reino; Lamminmäki, Annamarja (2026-03-26)
Taylor & Francis
26.03.2026
Vehviläinen, A. R., Nyfors, M., Pöyhiä, R., & Lamminmäki, A. (2026). Poetry therapy in patients with advanced cancer – a mixed-methods pilot study. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/08893675.2026.2644238
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202604092535
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202604092535
Tiivistelmä
Abstract
Only few studies exist about poetry therapy in patiens with advanced cancer. We ran a pilot poetry therapy group with seven participants with advanced cancer to assess the participants' experiences and the possible effects of poetry therapy. The poetry therapy included elements of mindfulness and green care. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and dignity scores were collected before and after the intervention. The participants’ experiences of the intervention were collected with open-ended questions. Most of the participants considered this kind of poetry therapy useful and suitable. Dignity scores improved (mean decrease 4.2 points, p = 0.018) significantly, and there was a trend toward a decrease in the HADS anxiety scale (mean decrease 1.9 points, p = 0.09). The content analysis of the patients’ experiences yielded five main categories, including processing emotions, structuring thoughts, connectedness, and an increase in anxiety. Poetry therapy seems acceptable and possibly beneficial in patients with advanced cancer.
Only few studies exist about poetry therapy in patiens with advanced cancer. We ran a pilot poetry therapy group with seven participants with advanced cancer to assess the participants' experiences and the possible effects of poetry therapy. The poetry therapy included elements of mindfulness and green care. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and dignity scores were collected before and after the intervention. The participants’ experiences of the intervention were collected with open-ended questions. Most of the participants considered this kind of poetry therapy useful and suitable. Dignity scores improved (mean decrease 4.2 points, p = 0.018) significantly, and there was a trend toward a decrease in the HADS anxiety scale (mean decrease 1.9 points, p = 0.09). The content analysis of the patients’ experiences yielded five main categories, including processing emotions, structuring thoughts, connectedness, and an increase in anxiety. Poetry therapy seems acceptable and possibly beneficial in patients with advanced cancer.
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