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Frontiers in Psychiatry 2019Humans are intimately connected to nature, and our physical and mental health is influenced strongly by our environment. The "elements," classically described in humoral... (Review)
Review
Humans are intimately connected to nature, and our physical and mental health is influenced strongly by our environment. The "elements," classically described in humoral theory as Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, all may impact our mental health. In a contemporary sense, these elements reflect a range of modifiable factors: UV light or heat therapy (Fire); sauna, hydrotherapy, and balneotherapy (Water); nature-based exposure therapy and horticulture (Earth); oxygen-rich/clean air exposure; and breathing techniques (Air). This theoretical scoping review paper details the emerging evidence for a range of these elements, covering epidemiological and interventional data, and provides information on how we can engage in "biophilic" activities to harness their potential benefits. Interventional examples with emerging evidentiary support include "forest-bathing," heat therapy, sauna, light therapy, "greenspace" and "bluespace" exercise, horticulture, clay art therapy activities, and pranayamic yoga breathing exercises. Further robust research is however required to firmly validate many of these interventions, and to establish their therapeutic applications for the benefit of specific mental health disorders.
PubMed: 31105604
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00256 -
International Journal of Environmental... Sep 2022Art therapy has been widely offered to reduce symptoms of psychological disturbance. Pooled evidence about its effectiveness in epidemic contexts, particularly during... (Review)
Review
Art therapy has been widely offered to reduce symptoms of psychological disturbance. Pooled evidence about its effectiveness in epidemic contexts, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, has not been yet established. This study reviewed the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of art therapy on children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and past epidemics. We searched PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, CENTRAL (Cochrane Library), and CINAHL for articles on art therapy during COVID-19. Included studies reported improvements in measures of mental health, sleep quality, and psychological well-being in children with or without disabilities in the epidemic context. Results also showed that art therapy was highly feasible and accepted by children and adolescents as well as their families during epidemics in reviewed studies. Art therapy can be effective at improving various aspects of mental health, sleep quality, and psychological well-being. More empirical evidence is needed with larger sample sizes and longer duration of interventions.
Topics: Adolescent; Art Therapy; COVID-19; Child; Feasibility Studies; Humans; Mental Health; Pandemics
PubMed: 36141885
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191811612 -
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management Jan 2021Creative arts therapies aim to expand conventional palliative care interventions by making clinical care more holistic.
CONTEXT
Creative arts therapies aim to expand conventional palliative care interventions by making clinical care more holistic.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the benefits of an art therapy intervention in a tertiary hospital palliative care unit, directly in adult cancer inpatients and indirectly in their relatives.
METHODS
We evaluated the intensity of pain, anxiety, depression, and well-being using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale before and after the first, third, and fifth art therapy sessions. After the third and fifth sessions, perceived helpfulness was assessed via a questionnaire developed by the palliative care team, combining open-ended questions and a checklist. We categorized the narrative data into three predetermined types: generally helpful (some positive experience), helpfulness related to a dyadic relationship (patient-art therapist), and helpfulness related to a triadic relationship (patient-image-art therapist).
RESULTS
We observed a significant reduction in anxiety, depression, and pain as well as a significant increase in well-being at each of the time points evaluated. Ninety-eight percent of the patients considered the art therapy helpful, which could be categorized as generally helpful in 54.8%, related to a triadic relationship in 32.9%, and to a dyadic relationship in 12.3%. Relatives gave similar opinions regarding the effects on patients and, in addition, reported an indirect helpful effect for themselves. The most frequently selected experiences from the checklist were feeling calm, being entertained, and expressing and communicating emotions.
CONCLUSION
This art therapy intervention was beneficial in reducing symptom intensity. Almost all the participants directly or indirectly involved in the creative art process considered it helpful. They reported a wide variety of sensory, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual experiences.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Art Therapy; Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing; Humans; Neoplasms; Palliative Care
PubMed: 32739559
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.07.027 -
Medicine Oct 2022The efficacy of art therapy as an adjuvant treatment for schizophrenia remains inconclusive, and variation in the effects of art therapy on schizophrenia by the type of...
Art therapy as an adjuvant treatment for schizophrenia: A protocol for an updated systematic review and subgroup meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials following the PRISMA guidelines.
BACKGROUND
The efficacy of art therapy as an adjuvant treatment for schizophrenia remains inconclusive, and variation in the effects of art therapy on schizophrenia by the type of schizophrenia, severity of schizophrenia, type of art therapy, follow-up duration, or different populations has never been systematically assessed. The objective of this study is to systematically evaluate the effects of art therapy on schizophrenia and to determine whether there are some potential influencing factors affecting the effects of art therapy.
METHODS
Seven online databases will be searched from their inception until June 30, 2022. All the relevant randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing art therapy plus standardized treatment versus standardized treatment alone for schizophrenia will be selected and assessed for inclusion. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool will be used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included RCTs. Review Manager 5.4 will be used to analyze all the data obtained. Mental health symptoms are defined as the primary outcome, and the secondary outcomes include the Global Assessment of Functioning score, quality of life, functional remission, and the level of self-esteem. Subgroup analyses will be performed based on the type of schizophrenia, severity of schizophrenia, type of art therapy, follow-up duration, or different populations.
RESULTS
The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
CONCLUSIONS
This updated systematic review and subgroup meta-analysis will evaluate the effects of art therapy as adjunctive treatment to standardized treatment in patients with schizophrenia and determine whether there are some potential confounding variables affecting the effects of art therapy on the outcomes of schizophrenia patients, thus strengthening the evidence base for the clinical application of this combination therapy for schizophrenia.
Topics: Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic; Art Therapy; Combined Modality Therapy; Humans; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Schizophrenia; Systematic Reviews as Topic
PubMed: 36221342
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000030935 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023Research has shown that international students, specifically Chinese graduate students in South Korea, are vulnerable to stress and depression because of various...
BACKGROUND
Research has shown that international students, specifically Chinese graduate students in South Korea, are vulnerable to stress and depression because of various factors. These include environmental changes, economic constraints, interpersonal difficulties, discrimination, and cultural conflict.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigates the effectiveness of group art therapy in reducing acculturative stress and academic stress among Chinese graduate students in South Korea.
METHOD
Thirty participants were recruited and randomly assigned to the experimental ( = 15) and control groups ( = 15). The experimental group received eight 120-min sessions of group art therapy. Both groups were tested for acculturative stress (perceived discrimination, homesickness, perceived hate, fear, stress due to change/culture shock) and academic stress (schoolwork stress, future stress, social stress, living environment stress) before and after the art therapy intervention. Results were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
RESULTS
The results showed that there was a significantly greater reduction in acculturative and academic stress in the experimental than the control group.
CONCLUSION
Group art therapy can provide psychological and emotional support to international students studying abroad.
PubMed: 37546469
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1179778 -
Omega Jun 2022Grief and bereavement impact nearly every individual at some point of their lives, often having short or long-term physical and psychosocial impacts. Yet, these issues...
Grief and bereavement impact nearly every individual at some point of their lives, often having short or long-term physical and psychosocial impacts. Yet, these issues are rarely the focus of discussion, intensive therapy programs, or policy initiatives (Corr, 2002; Doka, 2002). This research explores the impacts of a closed group art and narrative therapy program in Ontario for individuals experiencing a grief or bereavement process following the loss of a loved one. It explores the grief experiences of art therapy participants during their time in the program, the nature, extent, and impacts of social and community connections that were made, how the program influenced grief over time, and the overall effectiveness of the program. This study suggests that art and narrative therapy hold great therapeutic potential as a tool to help individuals going through a grief or bereavement process.
PubMed: 35768193
DOI: 10.1177/00302228221111726 -
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management Jun 2015Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) provides clinical benefits to hospice patients, including decreased pain and improved quality of life. Yet little is known...
CONTEXT
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) provides clinical benefits to hospice patients, including decreased pain and improved quality of life. Yet little is known about the extent to which U.S. hospices employ CAM therapists.
OBJECTIVES
To report the most recent national data regarding the inclusion of art, massage, and music therapists on hospice interdisciplinary teams and how CAM therapist staffing varies by hospice characteristics.
METHODS
A national cross-sectional survey of a random sample of hospices (n = 591; 84% response rate) from September 2008 to November 2009.
RESULTS
Twenty-nine percent of hospices (169 of 591) reported employing an art, massage, or music therapist. Of those hospices, 74% employed a massage therapist, 53% a music therapist, and 22% an art therapist, and 42% expected the therapist to attend interdisciplinary staff meetings, indicating a significant role for these therapists on the patient's care team. In adjusted analyses, larger hospices compared with smaller hospices had significantly higher odds of employing a CAM therapist (adjusted odds ratio 6.38; 95% CI 3.40, 11.99) and for-profit hospices had lower odds of employing a CAM therapist compared with nonprofit hospices (adjusted odds ratio 0.52; 95% CI 0.32, 0.85). Forty-four percent of hospices in the Mountain/Pacific region reported employing a CAM therapist vs. 17% in the South Central region.
CONCLUSION
Less than one-third of U.S. hospices employ art, massage, or music therapists despite the benefits these services may provide to patients and families. A higher proportion of large hospices, nonprofit hospices, and hospices in the Mountain/Pacific region employ CAM therapists, indicating differential access to these important services.
Topics: Art Therapy; Cross-Sectional Studies; Health Personnel; Hospice Care; Hospices; Humans; Massage; Music Therapy; United States
PubMed: 25555445
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2014.11.295 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2023Art therapy, despite being an evidence-based, safe and acceptable intervention, is not widely available to clients in Scotland. Online delivery has the potential to...
INTRODUCTION
Art therapy, despite being an evidence-based, safe and acceptable intervention, is not widely available to clients in Scotland. Online delivery has the potential to expand the reach and accessibility, but special considerations need to be given to designing successful online art therapy services, due to the unique emphasis on the role of an image and artmaking alongside the therapeutic relationship.
METHODS
A pilot online art therapy service was developed and delivered in the Western Isles of Scotland to individual adult clients wishing to increase their psychological wellbeing. This research aimed to assess feasibility and acceptability of the novel service, identify enablers and challenges in setting up and delivering the service, explore participants' expectations and experiences of art therapy and identify any impacts of the service. Mixed-method evaluation incorporated questionnaires, focus groups, interviews and Audio Image Recordings (AIRs). Findings were grouped into themes across several key areas: service setup, research procedures, intervention design and impacts and insights. Recommendations were developed for the first three areas and the last section presents indications of change and gives voice to client experience primarily.
RESULTS
Online art therapy was described by clients as a judgement-free zone which allowed freedom to experiment, express, feel and immerse themselves in the creative flow. Other benefits included readiness to accept emotions, increased understanding of self and others and being able to see things from a new perspective. Clients recognised the unique nature of art therapy in relation to other psychological treatments and valued the freedom of expression it offered, including the non-verbal.
DISCUSSION
This project demonstrated that online art therapy is not only a feasible an acceptable intervention, but potentially also a powerfully impactful one, capable of instilling a positive change in a surprisingly short period of time. Exploring ways to expand current and introduce new art therapy services is highly recommended. Refinement of an intervention design, tools and research procedures is recommended through further feasibility studies of a larger scale.
PubMed: 37283707
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1193445 -
BMC Psychology Sep 2021College students in Generation Z are among the most stressed of our time. Previous research suggests that current interventions on university campuses are primarily for... (Clinical Trial)
Clinical Trial
BACKGROUND
College students in Generation Z are among the most stressed of our time. Previous research suggests that current interventions on university campuses are primarily for students in crises, but supportive services like psychoeducation to introduce coping skills are scant. Interventions that take both financial and time pressures into account are needed to address the mental health challenges faced by students. This study is designed to determine the unique role of the arts as a proactive mental health strategy for college students.
METHODS
A sample of college students in Generation Z (n = 120) will be recruited. Participants will be assigned to Arts-only, mindfulness-only, mindfulness-based art interventions or a non-intervention control group. These interventions will be delivered using a minimal contact, web-based approach. Participants will be screened for eligibility requirements prior to the inclusion in the Time 1 assessment though an online survey. Once enrolled, participants will complete the Time 1 assessment, followed by the intervention. Each assessment will consist of psychological and physiological measures. The MBAT, NCT and MO groups will complete a brief self-care task twice a week for 5 weeks. Upon completion of the assigned intervention, participants will complete a Time 2 assessment and participate in the Trier Social Stress Test. Six weeks post-intervention, participants will complete the final assessment to assess the longevity of effects of the intervention.
DISCUSSION
This study will clarify the effects of Mindfulness-based Art Therapy on several biometric and physiological markers above and beyond isolated art therapy or mindfulness interventions. Qualitative data in the form of transcribed exit interviews will be analyzed to characterize the unique needs of Generation Z students, along with level of engagement, intervention acceptance and satisfaction. The results will identify the efficacy of a low-cost and easily accessible mental health intervention targeting college students experiencing stress and anxiety. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04834765, 05/17/21. Retrospectively registered.
Topics: Anxiety; Art Therapy; Humans; Mindfulness; Students; Universities
PubMed: 34479649
DOI: 10.1186/s40359-021-00634-2 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2022This article reviews the potential functions and approaches of museum education in alleviating psychological anxiety, particularly the psychological anxiety experienced... (Review)
Review
This article reviews the potential functions and approaches of museum education in alleviating psychological anxiety, particularly the psychological anxiety experienced by adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. We outline the main forms of museum education, highlighting how it supports the potential functions of art therapy for psychological anxiety. Thereafter, we review the representative research on museum art therapy practice for different populations to invite discussion, dialogue, and awareness of future directions for museum education and suggest gaps in the research that require further study.
PubMed: 36743648
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1075427