Arts & Health最新文献

Background: Long-term care homes for older and disabled adults, including those who are living with dementia, facilitate a diversity of recreational activities and program as social interventions. The relationships between interventional elements and participant impacts are not well understood.

Methods: This paper explores a poetry methodology and reports the findings from a pilot test of Dementia Arts Mapping, a novel ethnographic observational technique, to better understand impacts of poetry and recreation on people living with dementia in long-term care settings. Between 2017 and 2020, at 17 skilled nursing facilities throughout Wisconsin, researchers situated within care homes observed participants during diverse activities.

Results: We found poetry workshops surpassed other activities in eliciting self-expression.

Conclusions: Dementia Arts Mapping is an effective instrument for generating insights about dementia care and may be further enhanced for future use in research to inform care provision to foster meaningful engagement with people with dementia.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common in military veterans and presents as distress, anxiety, or depression due to a traumatic event. Expressive therapies are an emerging intervention used to enhance the quality of life by addressing the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of individuals.

Methods: Five databases were searched from 2014 to 2022 with search terms addressing the expressive therapies of art, dance, drama, music, and writing, and military veterans with PTSD.

Results: One hundred eighty-seven articles were screened and 16 articles qualified for review. Articles were categorized based on the following results: decrease in PTSD symptoms, veterans' triggered responses, participants recommending expressive therapy/finding it helpful, and increased well-being and/or quality of life.

Conclusions: Results found that expressive therapies are effective in reducing PTSD symptoms in military veterans. However, more research is recommended to fully support the use of expressive therapies in PTSD treatment.

Background: Leisure activities are believed to contribute to healthy ageing. We compared the effects of choir singing and go playing on cortisol levels in Japanese older adults. We also examined its relevance to the older adults' emotional affect and cognitive performance.

Methods: Thirty-six older adults participated either in choir or go playing, within a 2 (groups)×2 (time points) design. Dependent measures included levels of salivary cortisol, as well as key psychological, cognitive, and neuropsychological measures.

Results: A significant two-way interaction was observed, showing that levels of salivary cortisol decreased for the choir but increased for the go groups. The decrease in salivary cortisol for the choir group correlated with the participant's negative affect and their degree of cognitive impairment.

Conclusion: Choir singing has the potential to reduce Japanese older adults' physiological stress. The decreases can be seen more prominently for people with stronger negative affect and cognitive impairment. Further research is required to replicate these effects.

Background: This original, qualitative study examines the ways in which the concept of respite is expressed and experienced through the activity of singing in refugee mothers, new and expectant, in a perinatal healthcare setting in Logan, Queensland.

Methods: Data were collected using a multi-method approach using field notes, yarning circles, and semi-structured interviews. Reflexive Thematic Analysis (TA) yielded themes influenced also by literature on singing, wellbeing, health inequities, and the conceptual lens of respite.

Results: The research found that singing afforded respite for mothers across four dimensions, allowing for safe spaces, me time, new direction, and immersion. Respite and singing are identified here as strength-based and cultural solutions to wellbeing. No negative effects were reported.

Conclusions: The article discusses implications for socially-mediated healthcare in culturally diverse contexts. The idea of "song" enables access to a space of sanctuary wherein health inequities can be tackled in meaningful and decolonising ways.

Background: A growing body of evidence suggests the positive impact of arts on health and wellbeing. The mechanisms underlying the impact however, remain overlooked.

Methods: 38 Semi-structured interviews were held with 30 older adults and 10 artists, involved in five participatory art projects in the Netherlands. Case-based framework and cross-over analyses were done on the basis of Cousins et al.'s taxonomy.

Results: Participatory art initiatives contributed to the wellbeing of older adults in a complex interplay with the artist, art form, group of participants, material aspects and continuity of activities. A welcoming environment appeared a consistent underlying mechanism for participants to grow on a personal and artistic level, connect with others and feel supported in their psychosocial wellbeing.

Conclusion: This article demonstrates the important social function participatory art can have for older adults, and argues for the importance of a thorough consideration of the context wherein underlying mechanisms and outcomes emerge.

Background: This article examines the state of the field of arts and health in Singapore and identifies the drivers that have shaped its development to date, adding new insights from Asia to the growing international literature in this area. Methods: Various methods, including an online survey and in-depth focus groups were used. Results: We find that the field in Singapore is rapidly growing, with a proliferation of activities across the arts and culture, healthcare, and social care sectors in recent decades fostered by various policy developments, increased funding and new peer-to-peer networking. Nevertheless, several issues persist, including inconsistent understanding and conceptualisation of the field as a whole across multiple stakeholders, limited research capacity and training platforms, and lack of professional recognition. Conclusions: We provide recommendations for further action, including developing arts and health literacy and research capacity, investing in efforts to bridge education and practice, and focusing on formalising and elevating professional standards.

Background: Therapeutic clowns use embodied practices to engage with clients, their families and healthcare staff to empower patients and create therapeutic relationships. This study explored the effectiveness of a virtual therapeutic clown initiative.

Methods: Thirteen therapeutic clowns participated in a semi-structured interview to discuss their experiences with online clowning; additionally, four dyads consisting of a clown duo and a client explored multiple perspectives of a shared online clowning experience. Data were analyzed according to the six core competencies of therapeutic clowning.

Results: Although all therapeutic clowns and caregivers reported challenges and limitations with the medium, virtual therapeutic clowning was effective for empowering clients and forming therapeutic relationships. Clowns successfully used many strategies to maintain their core clowning competencies in the virtual environment.

Conclusions: Virtual clowning may be more beneficial for some clients than in-person clowning and has the potential to extend therapeutic clowning beyond its traditional domains of practice.

Background: This paper proposes a framework for studying the potential of museum-led interventions for supporting stroke rehabilitation goals.

Methods: The intervention was based on Kirvevold et al.'s model for interventions for post-stroke wellbeing. Mixed-methods data wqas collected to review benefits in a pilot study, including retrospective video observations for six sessions with four patients; interviews with patients, carers and facilitators; pre-post patient assessments; and facilitator diaries.

Results: Systematic analysis of videos showed high levels of concentration and engagement with museum objects, low levels of social interaction, and positive or neutral mood throughout. Thematic qualitative analysis suggested patients felt engaged in meaningful activities, which lifted negative mood, provided positive distraction from the ward, and increased self-esteem, including belief in patient abilities.

Conclusion: Further research is needed to fully establish the potential of museum-led interventions for stroke rehabilitation.

Background: Dancing is an attractive form of exercise among older adults and may positively influence physical and psychosocial health. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the evidence examining the dance prescription and effectiveness of dance in community dwelling older adults.

Methods: Eight databases were searched to identify randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of dance programs on community-dwelling older adults from 2007 to December 2020. Data regarding participants, dance programs and outcomes of interest were extracted and narratively synthesized. A meta-analysis was performed on the outcome data where possible.

Results: Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria, of those 15 were deemed to be fair quality and 7 high quality using the PEDro scale. Nineteen studies included in the meta-analysis found that dancing can improve mobility and endurance compared to no intervention and afforded equivalent outcomes compared to other exercise programs.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that dance is an effective, safe and viable activity for community-dwelling older adults..