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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 11, No. 3
Publication Date: March 25, 2024
DOI:10.14738/assrj.113.15820.
Thomas-Tran, J., Thomas-Tran, E. P., Eisen, K., Kharrazi, N., & Mason, D. (2024). Poetry Workshop in the Acute Inpatient Psychiatric
Setting: Feasible, Acceptable, and Significantly Beneficial. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 11(3). 501-511.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Poetry Workshop in the Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Setting:
Feasible, Acceptable, and Significantly Beneficial
Jane Thomas-Tran
Stanford University School of Medicine and
University of Washington Department of Pediatrics
Emily P. Thomas-Tran
Stanford University School of Medicine and
University of Washington Department of Psychiatry
Katherine Eisen
Stanford Healthcare Department of Psychiatry
Neda Kharrazi
Stanford Healthcare Department of Psychiatry
Daniel Mason
Stanford Healthcare Department of Psychiatry
ABSTRACT
Objective: We investigated the feasibility and acceptability of establishing a
therapeutic poetry writing workshop in an acute inpatient psychiatric setting, as
well as the impact of participation on measures of mood, hope, and recovery
orientation. Methods: Participants were recruited from the inpatient psychiatric
units of an academic medical center. As a pre/post measure of effect of the poetry
intervention, participants completed the Herth Hope Index (HHI) and the Mental
Health Confidence Scale (MHCS) at baseline and follow-up, as well as a Brief Mood
Survey (BMS) immediately before and after each instance of participation in the
poetry workshop. Student’s t-tests were used to assess for changes on HHI, MHCS,
and BMS, as well as to compare the before vs after in these metrics for individuals
who attended only one workshop session versus those who attended two or more
sessions to assess for dose-dependent effect of the intervention. Workshop
participants also optionally completed a satisfaction survey of their qualitative
experience of the group. The protocol for leading a workshop is described in
detail. Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in multiple
subscales of mood according to the pre- and post-measures on the BMS. Results of
the HHI indicated a trend toward increased hopefulness. Results of the MHCS
showed statistically significant improvement in participants’ confidence in
managing day-to-day life with a mental illness. Results of satisfaction surveys
indicate that participants had an overwhelmingly positive experience of the
group. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Workshops designed to foster
writing and sharing poetry in a group format are likely to be clinically helpful to
improve mood for patients in an acute inpatient psychiatric setting. Future research
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 11, Issue 3, March-2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
may examine the adaptability of this intervention for outpatient and virtual
settings. Impact and Implications: We conducted a poetry workshop for patients in
an acute inpatient psychiatric unit. Participation in the workshop even just once
provided a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in
multiple subscales of mood and confidence in managing day-to-day life with a
mental illness. Our study describes in detail the protocol for a mental health
clinician to recreate a similar poetry workshop in their own clinic or hospital.
INTRODUCTION
Compared to the general population, patients with psychiatric illness are more likely to suffer
from alexithymia, the inability to identify and express emotions with language in conjunction
with interpersonal dysfunction and difficulties forming attachments (Bach et al., 1994).
Furthermore, individuals with alexithymia have more interpersonal problems than those
without this difficulty of self-expression (Spitzer et al., 2005). Although postulated to be a
relatively stable personality trait, alexithymia does decrease in response to inpatient group
psychotherapy, as modulated by reductions in psychological stress and depression (Stingl et
al., 2008). We expected that participation in a poetry-writing and sharing workshop would
alleviate some of the distress associated with acute psychiatric illness by providing a venue to
explore self-expression through a novel medium and language. According to Hasson-Ohayon et
al. (2009) for people with schizophrenia, hope is a key factor mediating the relationship
between insight into illness and quality of life. Secondary to assessing feasibility, this study also
aims to obtain an initial measurement of the utility of this poetry group intervention on
hopefulness, self-efficacy in facing the challenges of day-to-day life, and mood.
The Present Study: Poetry Writing and Sharing in a Group
The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of
participation in a poetry-writing group in an acute inpatient psychiatric setting. The
intervention consisted of following prompts to write lists of words for use in a poem, free- writing a poem during a short, timed bout, and optional sharing.
This intervention fits into the landscape of medical humanities, creative bibliotherapy, and art
therapy (Stickley et al., 2018). Creative bibliotherapy consists of reading novels, memoirs, and
the like rather than self-help books or handbooks (Eisen et al., 2018; Mårtensson & Andersson,
2015). These types of interventions have demonstrated helpfulness for patients facing a variety
of challenges and types of mental and physical suffering, including chronic pain (Hovey et al.,
2018), trauma (Glass et al., 2019), intimate partner violence (McGarry & Bowden 2017), and
mental illness (Jensen & Bonde 2018). They have also demonstrated efficacy in the acute
psychiatric inpatient setting (Eisen et al., 2018). Much of the recent literature around arts
interventions has been driven by governments in Nordic countries, which are demanding cost- effective strategies to improve the mental health of citizens both within and outside medical
settings, according to a review article by Jensen and Bonde (2018), who conclude that so far,
the results are optimistic as to the usefulness of participatory arts interventions for benefiting
health.
In the acute inpatient psychiatric unit at the major academic medical center where the present
study was conducted, most diagnoses fall within the categories of mood disorders, psychotic
disorders, and severe anxiety disorders including PTSD. Across these various diagnoses is