The impact of mandala coloring on the anxiety of children with cystic fibrosis

Background: Mandala coloring is effective in reducing the level of anxiety experienced by some patients. However, it has received little attention as an adjunctive therapy for the management and prevention of anxiety in hospitalized children.Materials & Methods: The participants in this clinical trial study were ۱۲۰ children aged ۶-۱۸ with cystic fibrosis with mild to moderate anxiety admitted to Mofid Children’s Hospital in Tehran. The children were randomly divided into two intervention and control groups. The children in the intervention group performed mandala coloring exercises every evening for ۳۰ minutes for six consecutive days. The level of anxiety in the children in both groups was measured using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory before the intervention and six days after the first measurement.Findings: An analysis of the mean anxiety scores before and after the intervention showed a significant decrease in the level of anxiety experienced by the children in the Mandala group (P<۰.۰۵). Moreover, a significant decrease was observed after the intervention between the children in the mandala and control groups in terms of average anxiety levels (P<۰.۰۵).Conclusion: The results indicated that holding six mandala coloring sessions reduced the anxiety of children with cystic fibrosis. Thus, mandala coloring is recommended as a complementary non-pharmacological method to reduce children’s anxiety.