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Clay Therapy in Schizophrenia Patients

The Effect of Clay Therapy on Functional Improvement and Individual and Social Performance in Schizophrenic Patients

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07378150
Enrollment
17
Registered
2026-01-30
Start date
2025-12-01
Completion date
2026-01-23
Last updated
2026-07-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Schizophrenia and Related Disorders

Keywords

schizophrenia, clay therapy, Functional Recovery, Individual and Social Performance, art therapy

Brief summary

In recent years, art therapies have been discussed for their positive effects on mental disorders. One such therapy, clay therapy, is being studied to examine its effect on the functional recovery and individual and social performance of schizophrenia patients undergoing pharmacological treatment.

Detailed description

Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that can manifest in various forms, ranging from symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations to functional impairments, and is often characterised by relapses. The care of people with schizophrenia concerns all sectors of society, including families, healthcare professionals, and organisations providing psychosocial support. The treatment of schizophrenia is of great importance due to its potential for early onset and its status as one of the most common psychiatric disorders leading to functional impairment. While pharmacological treatments support a large part of the treatment process, the effect of art therapy on preventing disability and treatment compliance and disease awareness is the subject of current studies. Clay therapy, a component of art therapy, has been used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, especially in recent years. Studies have highlighted the therapeutic aspects of clay. When examining the therapeutic properties of clay, it is seen to provide benefits in the following areas: * Facilitating the expression of emotions, * Bringing unconscious material to the surface, * Facilitating rich and deep expression, * Facilitating verbal communication, * Concretisation and symbolisation. This study aims to examine the effect of clay therapy on the functional recovery and individual and social performance of schizophrenia patients.

Interventions

OTHERClay therapy

Experimental: Clay therapy group

Sponsors

Kutahya Health Sciences University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

While the conventional treatment group continues to receive routine treatment, the experimental group will receive clay therapy sessions in addition to treatment, and the outcome assessments will be conducted by a researcher who is unaware of the group distribution.

Intervention model description

Two groups with a conventional therapy control group

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Having been diagnosed with schizophrenia, * Being aged 18 or over, * Having completed at least primary school education, * Having achieved treatment compliance, * Currently undergoing pharmacological treatment, * Being in remission, * Having attended the Community Mental Health Centre regularly over the past year, * Having agreed to participate in the study * Scoring 20 points or higher on the Mini Mental State Examination

Exclusion criteria

* Being under 18 years of age, * Not having an education, * Not having a diagnosis of schizophrenia, * Not adhering to treatment, * Not taking pharmacological treatment regularly, * Being in an acute attack/active phase, * Lacking insight

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Functional Recovery Scale for Schizophrenia Patients8 weeksThis is a 5-point Likert-type scale consisting of 19 items that assesses improvements in functionality independent of the symptoms of the disease. Level 1 (absent) indicates the lowest level of improvement, while Level 5 (present to a high degree) corresponds to the 'ideal' level of function. Level 2 (partially present), Level 3 (sufficiently present) and Level 4 (almost completely present) are also included. When two levels are between, the lower level is selected. The maximum score that can be obtained from the scale is 95, and the minimum score is 19. The scale, which consists of subscales for daily living skills, social functioning, and health and treatment, measures functional improvement in three separate areas.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Individual and Social Performance Scale8 weeksThis scale, scored from 1 to 100, is conducted in three stages. In the first stage, the level of functionality is determined through a sequential assessment across four dimensions: socially beneficial activities, individual and social relationships, self-care, and disruptive and aggressive behaviours. After each dimension is assessed, it is scored between 0 and 10 points based on the degree of impairment in that dimension.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jul 29, 2026