Art therapy (AT) has demonstrated potential for improving the well-being of breast cancer (BC) survivors, but limited research exists on emotion processing (EP) of Arab women in this context. Thus, this study delves into the relationship between EP and the art-making of Arab BC survivors in an AT group intervention to provide an in-depth understanding of their unique experience. We hypothesized that openly expressing emotions in the face of life-threatening events, such as BC, might be difficult for individuals from collective cultures with a strong emphasis on social harmony. We conducted a mixed-methods exploratory study ( = 62) with a visual analysis of 22 drawings and a textual analysis of reports from five art therapists. Positive correlations were observed between conservation values, acceptance of emotions, values, and artistic elements. Acceptance of emotions correlated negatively with space in drawing. Textual analysis of therapist reports revealed two themes—coping strategies and mixed emotions—corresponding to phenomena observed in the drawings. The women reported that art-making in a group facilitated access to their inner emotions, reinforced personal boundaries, and provided a safe space for addressing complex experiences. The AT group also offered socialization with women in similar circumstances. We conclude that AT provided these Arab BC survivors a culturally sensitive means of safely processing emotions through creative visual expression. Further research is needed to examine if AT is also helpful to BC survivors from other collectivist ethno-cultures.

中文翻译：

---

阿拉伯乳腺癌幸存者的艺术和情感处理：一项探索性研究

艺术疗法（AT）已被证明可以改善乳腺癌（BC）幸存者的福祉，但在这方面对阿拉伯妇女的情绪处理（EP）的研究有限。因此，本研究深入探讨了 EP 与 AT 群体干预中阿拉伯 BC 幸存者的艺术创作之间的关系，以深入了解他们的独特经历。我们假设，对于来自强调社会和谐的集体文化的个人来说，面对危及生命的事件（例如BC）公开表达情感可能会很困难。我们进行了一项混合方法探索性研究 (= 62)，对 22 张图画进行了视觉分析，并对五位艺术治疗师的报告进行了文字分析。在保护价值观、情感接受度、价值观和艺术元素之间观察到正相关。对情感的接受与绘画中的空间呈负相关。对治疗师报告的文本分析揭示了两个主题——应对策略和混合情绪——与图中观察到的现象相对应。这些女性表示，团体艺术创作有助于了解她们的内心情感，强化个人界限，并为处理复杂的经历提供安全的空间。AT 小组还为处于类似情况的女性提供社交活动。我们得出的结论是，AT 为这些公元前的阿拉伯幸存者提供了一种文化敏感的方式，通过创造性的视觉表达来安全地处理情感。需要进一步的研究来检验 AT 是否也对来自其他集体主义民族文化的 BC 幸存者有帮助。