Toward Family-Integrated Art Therapy in Oncology: A Scoping Review Protocol Comparing Pediatric and Adult Interventions

Cancer poses a severe global public health burden, inflicting physical, psychosocial, and economic hardships on patients and caregivers. As a first-line psychological intervention in integrative oncology, painting therapy effectively alleviates anxiety and depression in both pediatric and adult cancer patients. However, existing studies are siloed by age, lacking systematic cross-age comparisons of intervention characteristics, and family-centered integrated interventions remain underdeveloped. This scoping review, adhering to PRISMA-ScR guidelines and the Arksey and O’Malley framework, aims to map relevant literature, compare cross-age intervention features, and explore family-based application feasibility. It addresses three core questions: key intervention characteristics, cross-age similarities and differences, and the development of family-integrated interventions. A JBI three-step search will cover English/Chinese databases and gray literature before March 2026. Two independent reviewers will screen studies against strict criteria and extract data via a pilot-tested form, with descriptive and thematic synthesis employed (no meta-analysis). Results will be disseminated via publications, conferences, and clinical sharing to inform tailored, family-integrated strategies, bridging research and practice gaps.