26isfam094 10.3205/26isfam094 urn:nbn:de:0183-26isfam0943 Meeting Abstract T. H. Ho T. H. Ho Rainbow R

Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong

author L. T. Lo L. T. Lo Temmy T

Academy of Music, School of Creative Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University

author C. T. Fong C. T. Fong Ted T

Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong Research Hub of Population Studies, The University of Hong Kong

author C. Chan C. Chan W. W

Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong

author M. Y. Cheong M. Y. Cheong Allen A

School of Optometry, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

author Lam Lam W. C. WC

Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Hong Kong

author Li Li Q. Q

Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Hong Kong

author H. Y. Wan H. Y. Wan Adrian A

Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong

author German Medical Science GMS Publishing House

Düsseldorf

610 20260612 engl This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Dieser Artikel ist ein Open-Access-Artikel und steht unter den Lizenzbedingungen der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (Namensnennung). M0652 094 International Society for Arts and Medicine The Healing Arts – Forging Alliances of Arts & Medicine Presentation Abstracts Berlin 20260618 20260620 26isfam094 TextBackground: Older adults are at a higher risk of visual impairments, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). While AMD significantly affects the acuity of central vision and jeopardizes the daily functioning, there is an insufficient amount of psychosocial support for the older adults.Objective: This study evaluated the short-term psychosocial effects of an expressive arts-based intervention (EXAT) on older adults with AMD.Methods: A mixed-methods randomized controlled trial was conducted, with 70 participants randomized into the 8-week EXAT group and 71 participants into the waitlist control group (CG). EXAT applied various art forms to promote participants’ psychosocial well-being, such as cognitive flexibility. Participants completed a questionnaire to assess their psychosocial conditions at baseline (T0) and 8 weeks later (T1). A subsample of 35 participants participated in a semi-structured, in-depth interview at T1.Results: 2x2 repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed significant intervention effects (group x time) in psychosocial adaptation, resilience, vision-specific quality of life dependency domain, and anxiety and depressive symptoms (η2=.035-.067, p=.003-.034), demonstrating improvements in psychosocial well-being in EXAT group across two timepoints compared to the CG. Participants shared that the EXAT inspired them with different coping strategies to manage the challenges of visual impairment, like breaking through fixations. EXAT enhanced their mood and provided social opportunities for them. Some also noted that EXAT might be too vague, preferring interventions that directly address the AMD symptoms.Conclusion: EXAT can serve as psychosocial support to older adults with AMD. Long-term effects and potential mechanisms will be examined in follow-up studies. 0 0 0 0