The effectiveness of art-based interventions among older adults with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Dementia is an escalating global health concern as the population ages, underscoring the need for validated strategies to prevent and manage this condition. Although art-based interventions are increasingly employed in dementia care, their efficacy remains uncertain.

To systematically determine and synthesize the evidence regarding the impact of art-based interventions on the outcomes of elderly individuals with dementia.

Six electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and PsycINFO databases from their inception to September 2025. The studies included were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The primary outcome assessed was global cognition, and the secondary outcomes included neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and quality of life (QoL). A meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model, and a sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the robustness of the findings.

Among the 26 reviewed studies, the pooled analysis suggested that art-based interventions were associated with improvements in global cognition (SMD = 0.26; 95 % CI, 0.03-0.48; p = 0.024) and overall NPS (SMD = -0.43; 95 % CI, -0.84 to -0.03; p = 0.036). Depression improved (SMD = -0.40; 95 % CI, -0.80 to 0.04; p = 0.032), whereas anxiety (SMD = -0.60; 95 % CI, -1.27 to 0.08; p = 0.82) and agitation (SMD = 0.21; 95 % CI, -0.13 to 0.56; p = 0.224) did not differ significantly. No significant effect was observed for QoL (SMD = 0.02; 95 % CI, -0.17 to 0.22; p = 0.801).

Art-based interventions may offer cognitive and neuropsychiatric benefits for older adults with dementia; however, their impact on specific symptom domains and QoL remains uncertain. To establish their efficacy, large-scale, multicenter randomized controlled trials are necessary.