SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Movement Science
Art-Based Interventions and Non-Motor Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Silin An 1
Shuhan Liu 1
Qing Wang 2
Bin Jiang 3
Zexi Liu 4
1. College of Arts, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju-si, Republic of Korea
2. Yanjing Institute of Technology, Hebei, China
3. Haikou University of Economics, Haikou, China
4. College of Media, Anyang Normal University, Anyang Normal University, Anyang, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Abstract
Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of art-based interventions on non-motor symptoms among individuals with Parkinson's disease. Method: RCTs published between 1990 and September 30, 2025, were identified through searches in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Data extraction and quality assessment followed PRISMA guidelines using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool. Meta-analyses were conducted in R, with primary outcomes synthesized using forest and funnel plots, subgroup analyses, leave-one-out analysis and prediction intervals. Results: A total of 22 studies involving 928 participants were included. Art-based interventions produced a significant improvement in fear of falling and activity-related confidence (FES: SMD = −0.41; 95% CI [−0.67, −0.15]; p < 0.05; I² = 3.8%), with subgroup analyses showing a moderate effect for music interventions. The prediction interval excluded the null (95% PI [−0.78, −0.04]), indicating that the effect was relatively consistent across studies. Art-based interventions showed a small, non-significant effect on quality of life (PDQ-39: SMD = −0.19, 95% CI [− 0.39, 0.01], p > 0.05). Subgroup analyses indicated that combined music and dance– music interventions yielded the strongest point estimates and reached statistical significance, although these findings were derived from single studies. Theater and dance interventions did not reach statistical significance for quality-of-life outcomes. No significant improvements were observed in cognitive function (MoCA: SMD = 0.05; 95% CI [−0.19, 0.30]; p > 0.05), and depressive symptoms showed only a small, non-significant reduction (BDI: SMD = −0.23; 95% CI [−0.63, 0.18]; p > 0.05). Conclusion: Art-based interventions showed selective benefits for non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease, with significant reductions in fear of falling, especially in music-based approaches. Effects on quality of life were small and nonsignificant, and no clear improvements were found for cognition or depression. Larger trials are needed to confirm clinical relevance. Systematic Review Registration: Identifier (CRD42025633292)
Summary
Keywords
Art-based interventions, Fear of falling, non-motor symptoms, Parkinson's disease, Rehabilitation
Received
09 December 2025
Accepted
28 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 An, Liu, Wang, Jiang and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Zexi Liu
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.