Faculty Sponsor

Jana Stedman

College

College of Nursing & Health Professions (CONHP)

Department/Program

Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPA)

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Summer 7-22-2026

Abstract

Objective: Poetry can help people understand and express complex emotions that often become apparent during illness. This literature review aims to determine whether poetry therapy -i.e., reading, writing, or listening to poetry- affects patient well-being when compared with standard of care treatment.

Methods: Google Scholar and Valparaiso University's databases were searched using primary keywords "poetry therapy" and "poetry in medicine" to find six English-language studies published after 2008 that used poetry as the primary intervention.

Results: Across three studies, poetry therapy showed reductions in anxiety and stress levels. Patients also showed improvements in emotional regulation, with one study citing reductions in fear, sadness, anger, worry, and fatigue, another citing lower anxiety and a decreased likelihood to suppress emotions, and a final study showing reduced depressive symptoms. Patients had increased hope after poetry interventions; however, one study did not reach statistical significance when compared to the control group. Finally, three studies reported quality-of-life improvements, such as reductions in pain and higher scores on a post-traumatic growth scale, but one finding was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: The evidence largely suggests that poetry therapy is a meaningful adjunct to medical care by increasing hope and improving mood across diverse patient populations. Poetry therapy offers the advantages of being low-risk and affordable, but interventions are complementary to medical treatments. Future research is needed to explore the effects of poetry therapy in larger randomized controlled trials with standardized interventions and definitions.

Keywords: poetry therapy; narrative medicine; medical humanities; quality of life; emotional regulation

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Amanda Bauer has interests in multiple specialties, and thoroughly enjoys connecting with her patients in outpatient settings. She will be presenting Prescribing Poetry: Incorporating Literary Arts into Patient Recovery because she is passionate about non-pharmacological treatment alternatives for patients and integrating the humanities into medicine.

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