The Effectiveness of Art Therapy based on Painting on Sleep Quality of Pregnant Women

Background: Various factors, like pregnancy, can lead to irregular sleep patterns. Sleep disturbances are common during pregnancy, potentially leading to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effectiveness of art therapy based on painting on sleep quality of pregnant women in the third trimester. Methods: This quasi-experimental study followed by a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population were pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy who referred to 22 Bahman health center of Kerman in 2019. Based on the inclusion criteria, 34 individuals were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned into two experimental groups and control group, each including 17 participants. To collect data, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used. Then 12 90-minute sessions of art therapy based on painting were carried out on the experimental group. After completing these sessions, a posttest was conducted. Data analysis was performed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and Bonferroni post-hoc tests in SPSS software, v. 26. Results: Group art therapy based on painting had significant effects on sleep quality and its components (p<0.001), while no significant differences had been found in the control group (p>0.05). Conclusion: Art therapy based on painting can be effective in improving the sleep quality of pregnant women. Accordingly, applying this therapy is recommended to improve these group’s status.