Art Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy, Wellbeing and Meaning in Life of Retired Community-Dwelling Older Adults

This article reports a study on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) sessions on wellbeing and meaning in life outcomes of urban community-dwelling retired Indian older adults versus art therapy (AT) sessions. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used. Results suggested that MBAT participants reported higher posttest scores on wellbeing and meaning in life measures versus the AT cohort wherein no statistically significant posttest change was observed. Participants’ gender and MBAT compliance were robust predictors of outcomes. Findings practically imply that MBAT, which combines art, meditation and mind-body connection, could enhance wellbeing and meaning in life for retired older adults.