Arts & Health最新文献

Background: There is an increasing need for effective interventions for child and adolescent mental health promotion, with mixed evidence to date on what works. Creative Bibliotherapy has promise as a pragmatic, school-based approach.

Methods: We undertook a systematic review of experimental or quasi-experimental studies of Creative Bibliotherapy designed to be delivered by teachers in schools to improve any mental health related outcome for children aged 5-16.

Results: Of 3405 unique reports retrieved, 23 met the inclusion criteria. The majority were student research dissertations (n = 12); conducted in North America (n = 17); conducted in children aged 12 or under (n = 17). Of the 13 (57%) which reported positive impact on mental health outcomes, authors described the selection of diverse and appropriate materials; structured interaction; and trained delivery by school-based practitioners as important to success. These were neither necessary nor sufficient conditions. Few studies were well defended against risk of bias.

Conclusion: There are promising indications that Creative Bibliotherapy in schools can improve mental health and its contributors but, to date, no strong evidence. Much of the literature pre-dates widespread adoption of reporting guidelines, and few designs were robustly defended against bias. Whilst interventions such as Creative Bibliotherapy fit uneasily within experimental evaluation paradigms, many interventions identified in this review could be evaluated with stronger trial designs to identify both positive and negative effects, and (more importantly) the contexts and conditions under which they are likely to improve children's mental health.

Background: Climate change poses significant and escalating threats to public health globally, affecting physical and mental health through direct impacts such as extreme weather events and indirect pathways including food insecurity and displacement. Despite growing recognition of culture and the arts as potential resources for health promotion and climate action, the specific role of the arts in addressing climate-related health impacts remains under-explored and suboptimally integrated into public health and environmental policy frameworks.

Objective: To investigate the role of the arts in addressing the health impacts of climate change from the perspective of experts working at the intersections of arts, health, and climate action.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey study using snowball sampling recruited participants with self-identified expertise at the intersections of arts, health, and climate change. The survey instrument collected qualitative data on perceived roles of arts-based interventions in this domain and barriers to their implementation. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes and patterns.

Results: Seventy-nine participants (N = 79) from diverse geographic regions globally completed the survey. Analysis revealed four meaningful roles that the arts can play in addressing climate-related health impacts: (1) bringing people together to build community and solidarity; (2) raising awareness and communicating complex information; (3) solving problems collectively; and (4) providing space for emotional processing and healing. Four primary barriers to expanding arts-based work were identified: (1) funding limitations; (2) other resource constraints; (3) collaboration challenges; and (4) lack of recognition and legitimacy.

Conclusions: The arts offer multiple pathways for addressing the health impacts of climate change, though structural barriers limit their implementation and scale. Findings have implications for policymakers, climate scientists, artists, and healthcare professionals seeking to integrate arts-based approaches into climate-health interventions and adaptation strategies.

Governance for health and wellbeing has traditionally been structured as a top-down process, with governments and policymakers determining strategies to improve population health. While there is increasing recognition of the role of arts, creative practice, and culture in wellbeing, cultural participation is often framed as an intervention rather than a governance mechanism. This commentary argues that participatory cultural decision-making is a form of governance for health and wellbeing. By shifting from cultural consumption to cultural co-governance, participatory models such as citizens' juries and community-led planning empower communities and individuals, promoting agency, cohesion, and wellbeing.

The term "creative health" is increasingly used in the context of "arts and health" programming, evaluation and research. In this comment, I draw on the psychology of creativity to critically examine this term (focusing on the word "creative" rather than "health"). I argue that conceptual clarity and consistent terminology are essential for the arts and health field. This is important for two key reasons: 1) to ensure we have shared and comprehensible terms in the field and 2) to clarify the active ingredients within arts-based interventions and activities that contribute to health outcomes.

Health Education Empowered Through Arts Interventions emerged from personal encounters with illness, stigma, and resilience during the #COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Living in Chongqing, China, near Wuhan (my previous resident), the outbreak's epicenter, I witnessed the fear, isolation, and xenophobia that spread as rapidly as the virus itself. Friends in Wuhan and Chinese nationals abroad faced discrimination and xenophobic attacks that deepened their psychological wounds. Around the same time (2020), a neighbor living with HIV/AIDS in my home community took her own life after enduring years of stigma and social rejection. These intertwined tragedies revealed to me that illness extends beyond the physical; it erodes dignity, identity, and mental well-being when met with prejudice. Yet, amid despair, I observed art's quiet power to heal. During lockdowns, murals, music, and theatre emerged as vital forms of comfort and education, bridging divides in places where words and systems failed. This poem challenges societal stigma surrounding illnesses such as COVID-19, AIDS and mental health, asserting they should not be criminalized or demonized. It portrays art, through music, theatre, and painting, as therapeutic expression, transforming pain into strength, addressing physical and mental health, and fostering community connections that bridge healthcare and emotional healing. It embodies lament and hope, presenting art as a medium for empathy, awareness, and healing. The poem also underscores art's role as an effective form of health education and social medicine, one capable of rebuilding community, restoring self-worth, and fostering resilience vital for health and recovery amid crises and ill-health.

Background: Urban environments increasingly cause sensory overload and psychological fatigue. Green spaces offer some relief, but few designs use silence as a therapeutic tool.

Aims: This study introduces Silent Art Landscapes (SALs), urban spaces that combine art and sound-moderating features. It explores how contemplative, acoustically sensitive landscapes can support inner peace and mental well-being in cities.

Methods: Using a mixed-methods approach, we conducted environmental soundscape assessments, on-site behavioral observations, and semi-structured interviews at three quiet urban art installations in dense metropolitan areas.

Results: Participants reported reduced anxiety, heightened emotional clarity, and a sense of "mental refuge." Reflective surfaces, sound-dampening topography, and interactive light-and-shadow installations contributed to a sense of tranquility.

Conclusions: This research demonstrates the potential of SALs as non-pharmacological multisensory interventions. This approach offers valuable implications for future urban planning, therapeutic design, and public health policy.

This poem is an autoethnographic poem narrating a nine-year trajectory in Korea, from undergraduate study to the doctorate, and from dancer to scholar in dance, theatre, and performance studies. As the only foreign student in the university's dance department, the author experienced prolonged isolation and exclusion that intensified into self-doubt, before a subsequent move to a theatre-focused program and entry into academic work facilitated a gradual emergence from the shadows of the undergraduate years. Framed by recurring motifs of circle, counts, and light, the poem traverses studio, black-box theatre, library, and corridor to show how linguistic barriers and cultural othering, within arts-based intervention, are embodied and transformed into practices of self-repair and self-care: the body is re-centered, "foreign land" is renamed from within, and exclusion becomes sustainable practice and posture. The work calls on universities and communities to establish accessible support networks, provide culturally responsive arts-based interventions and peer support, and evaluate inclusion by felt belonging rather than numerical indicators, while using poetic narrative to illuminate individual resilience and pathways of self-care under adverse conditions.

Background: The Odyssey Project is a unique non-clinical participatory photography program for veterans. We evaluated the Odyssey Project's impact on participants' mental health, social connection, well-being, and quality of life and gathered insights into how the arts support veterans.

Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 Odyssey participants. Transcripts underwent rapid qualitative analysis, producing matrixed summaries and identifying themes across these summaries.

Results: Veterans reported improved mental health, social relationships, belonging, perspectives on military service, sense of self, and self-acceptance. Veterans felt art was useful for processing and reconnecting with their emotions. Some participants offered suggestions for program improvement.

Conclusion: Odyssey participants experienced positive impacts that had ripple effects through their lives and valued using the arts to tell their stories. The Odyssey Project sits in a "sweet spot" between clinical art therapy and other less immersive veterans' community arts programs, making it appealing to veterans struggling with reintegration.

Background: Approximately half of the global population resides in remote regions, yet healthcare resources remain disproportionately concentrated in urban areas. Social and geographical isolation exacerbate health disparities, resulting in limited access to services for rural, remote and island communities. This paper explores how arts-based health interventions respond to these inequalities.

Methods: We conducted a literature review of research studies published over the past two decades.

Results: Arts-based health interventions have emerged as a promising approach to addressing disparities and enhancing overall health and wellbeing. The arts support healthcare literacy, individual agency, self-expression and a strengthened sense of community presence and identity. Creative practices rooted in local and Indigenous traditions foster sustainable and meaningful relationships between people and place, enabling a sense of connected belonging and intergenerational historicity. Active community participation, trustful relationships between stakeholders and communities, and an appreciation of cultural differences are seen to increase the effectiveness of these interventions.

Conclusion: The findings of this review aim to inform policymakers, practitioners and researchers about the potential and challenges of arts-based health interventions in remote and marginalised communities.

Background: Museum-led dementia care programmes enable social and cognitive outcomes for people living with dementia and their caregivers. However, the long-term effects on informal caregivers and the scalability of these interventions remain under-researched.

Methods: A systematic search in 3 databases followed PRISMA guidelines, focusing on studies from 2004 to 2024 in Australia, Europe and North America. The study aimed to map the existing evidence on the impact of museum-led interventions for informal dementia caregivers, and identify the mechanisms supporting their wellbeing.

Results: Out of 272 identified papers, 7 met the inclusion criteria. These studies demonstrated medium-high quality and highlighted the positive impact of museum-led programmes on caregivers' wellbeing.

Conclusions: Museum-led programmes are a valuable component of comprehensive dementia care, emphasising the need to integrate cultural interventions into health and social care policies to support informal caregivers' wellbeing. Future research should assess long-term impacts, scalability, and integration into diverse care settings.