a randomised controlled trial (MATISSE). - ResearchGate

DOI: 10.3310/hta16080
Chapter 1
Aims
Health Technology Assessment 2012; Vol. 16: No. 8
The study aimed to examine the impact of referral to community-based group art therapy
for people with schizophrenia compared with referral to an active control treatment or
to standard care alone. We set out to evaluate the impact of referral to group art therapy on
health and global functioning and to find out whether or not any benefits associated with art
therapy were greater than those associated with referral to an active control treatment. We also
sought to compare the costs and cost-effectiveness of adding group art therapy to a person’s
existing treatment.
The study hypotheses were that among people with schizophrenia:
1. Referral to group art therapy is associated with improved global functioning at 24 months
compared with referral to active control treatment or standard care alone.
2. Referral to group art therapy is more cost-effective than referral to active control treatment
or standard care alone.
3. Referral to group art therapy is associated with improved mental health, social functioning,
well-being and satisfaction with care compared with referral to active control treatment or
standard care alone.
4. Those referred to group art therapy will attend a greater proportion of the groups available to
them than those referred to active control groups.
© Queen’s Printer and Controller of HMSO 2012. This work was produced by Crawford et al. under the terms of a commissioning contract issued by
the Secretary of State for Health.
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