Artigianati.com

Katie Worth, a professional artist and MSU nursing student, wants to use art to benefit people with serious illnesses. This oil painting on linen, one of her pieces, shows natural forms changing over time. (MSU photo by Kelly Gorham).

BOZEMAN,MT -- Rural women with chronic health conditions often find relief by knitting, quilting and sewing, says an award-winning student researcher at Montana State University.

After identifying information was removed, Katie Worth of Livingston studied thousands of Internet exchanges in a confidential chat room. With no outside prompting, many of the women wrote that artistic hobbies distracted them from their situations and improved their quality of life, Worth said. 

Embedded in comments about pain and pain management were remarks about creating art. Some women brought up painting and sculpting. More talked about art involving textiles, especially knitting, quilting and sewing. Several said they made their art for others. It wasn't prescribed by doctors or therapists.

"They had a real strong sense of the creative process, whether it was something they picked up after their disease started or a long time ago," Worth said. "It was an important part of their coping strategy for dealing with chronic illness.".......

Read more at - http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=7150