The use of arts interventions for mental health and wellbeing in health settings

2018 ◽  
Vol 138 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Jensen ◽  
LO Bonde
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Medical Interventions ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Participatory Arts ◽  
Health Hospital

Aims: This literature review aims to illustrate the variety and multitude of studies showing that participation in arts activities and clinical arts interventions can be beneficial for citizens with mental and physical health problems. The article is focused on mental health benefits because this is an emerging field in the Nordic countries where evidence is demanded from national health agencies that face an increasing number of citizens with poor mental health and a need for non-medical interventions and programmes. Methods: A total of 20 articles of interest were drawn from a wider literature review. Studies were identified through the search engines: Cochrane Library, Primo, Ebscohost, ProQuest, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed and Design and Applied Arts Index. Search words included the following: arts engagement + health/hospital/recovery, arts + hospital/evidence/wellbeing, evidence-based health practice, participatory arts for wellbeing, health + poetry/literature/dance/singing/music/community arts, arts health cost-effectiveness and creative art or creative activity + health/hospital/recovery/mental health. The inclusion criteria for studies were (1) peer review and (2) empirical data. Results: The studies document that participation in activities in a spectrum from clinical arts interventions to non-clinical participatory arts programmes is beneficial and an effective way of using engagement in the arts to promote holistic approaches with health benefits. Engagement in specially designed arts activities or arts therapies can reduce physical symptoms and improve mental health issues. Conclusion: Based on the growing evidence of the arts as a tool for enhancing mental health wellbeing, and in line with the global challenges in health, we suggest that participatory arts activities and clinical arts interventions are made more widely available in health and social settings. It is well-documented that such activities can be used as non-medical interventions to promote public health and wellbeing.

scholarly journals Improved Wellbeing for Both Caretakers and Users from A Zoo-Related Nature Based Intervention—A Study at Nordens Ark Zoo, Sweden

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (24) ◽  
pp. 4929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Sahlin ◽  
Björn Johansson ◽  
Per-Olof Karlsson ◽  
Jenny Loberg ◽  
Mats Niklasson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Disadvantaged Group ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Working Lives

Nature-based interventions have been proposed to promote physical and mental health and give stress reduction. Little attention has been given to the potential of zoos for human health and wellbeing. A disadvantaged group in Sweden regarding access to nature are individuals with disabilities who consequently do not have the same access to these health benefits as other groups. To increase awareness and knowledge regarding spending time in nature and with animals, courses directed at caretakers for persons with disabilities and their users were held at Nordens Ark, a zoo in Sweden. To explore if the courses had led to increased nature activities, and if participating in the courses had affected caretakers’ and their users’ health and wellbeing, questionnaires and interviews for evaluating the courses were used. The results showed improved quality in nature visits because of course participation as well as positive effects for the wellbeing, sustainability for the caregivers and users in their working lives, and relationships were positively affected. The conclusion from this study is that nature and animal-based education should be more frequent to provide opportunities for a disadvantaged group to have the positive effects of nature of which most other groups have obvious access to.

Research into Australian emergency services personnel mental health and wellbeing: An evidence map

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracey Varker ◽  
Olivia Metcalf ◽  
David Forbes ◽  
Katherine Chisolm ◽  
Sam Harvey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
National Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Primary Research ◽  
Evidence Map ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Emergency Services Personnel

Background: Evidence maps are a method of systematically characterising the range of research activity in broad topic areas and are a tool for guiding research priorities. Aims: ‘Evidence-mapping’ methodology was used to quantify the nature and distribution of recent peer-reviewed research into the mental health and wellbeing of Australian emergency services personnel. Methods: A search of the PsycINFO, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases was performed for primary research articles that were published between January 2011 and July 2016. Results: In all, 43 studies of primary research were identified and mapped. The majority of the research focused on organisational and individual/social factors and how they relate to mental health problems/wellbeing. There were several areas of research where very few studies were detected through the mapping process, including suicide, personality, stigma and pre-employment factors that may contribute to mental health outcomes and the use of e-health. No studies were detected which examined the prevalence of self-harm and/or harm to others, bullying, alcohol/substance use, barriers to care or experience of families of emergency services personnel. In addition, there was no comprehensive national study that had investigated all sectors of emergency services personnel. Conclusion: This evidence map highlights the need for future research to address the current gaps in mental health and wellbeing research among Australian emergency services personnel. Improved understanding of the mental health and wellbeing of emergency services personnel, and the factors that contribute, should guide organisations’ wellbeing policies and procedures.

scholarly journals The Mental Health Benefits of Purposeful Activities in Public Green Spaces in Urban and Semi-Urban Neighbourhoods: A Mixed-Methods Pilot and Proof of Concept Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (15) ◽  
pp. 2712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Coventry ◽  
Chris Neale ◽  
Alison Dyke ◽  
Rachel Pateman ◽  
Steve Cinderby
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Mental Health Benefits ◽  
Public Green Space

Access and exposure to public green space might be critical to health promotion and prevention of mental ill health. However, it is uncertain if differential health and mental health benefits are associated with undertaking different activities in public green space. We evaluated the health and wellbeing benefits of different activities in different locations of public green spaces in urban and semi-urban areas. We used a mixed-methods before-and-after design. Volunteers at three conservation sites were recruited and took part in group guided walks, practical conservation tasks or citizen science. Repeated measures one-way ANOVAs with Bonferroni correction assessed the relationship between location and activity type on change in acute subjective mood from pre- to post-activity, measured with the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UWIST-MACL). Qualitative semi-structured interviews were undertaken and analysed thematically to explore participants’ perceptions about the health and wellbeing benefits of activities in public green space. Forty-five participants were recruited, leading to 65 independent observations. Walking, conservation and citizen science in public green space were associated with improved mood. Across all participants acute subjective mood improved across all domains of the UWIST-MACL. There was a significant association between reduction in stress and location (p = 0.009). Qualitatively participants reported that conservation and citizen science conferred co-benefits to the environment and individual health and well-being and were perceived as purposeful. Undertaking purposeful activity in public green space has the potential to promote health and prevent mental ill health.

scholarly journals Effects of International Labour Migration on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Left-Behind Children: A Systematic Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 4335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khatia Antia ◽  
Johannes Boucsein ◽  
Andreas Deckert ◽  
Peter Dambach ◽  
Justina Račaitė ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Family Characteristics ◽  
Labour Migration ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Transnational Families ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Health And Well Being

Labour migration is a challenge for the globalised world due to its long-term effects such as the formation of transnational families. These families, where family members of migrant workers are “left-behind”, are becoming a common phenomenon in many low- and middle-income countries. Our systematic literature review investigated the effects of international parental labour migration on the mental health and well-being of left-behind children. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we performed searches in PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar, resulting in 30 finally included studies. We found that mental health and well-being outcomes of left-behind children differed across and sometimes even within regions. However, only studies conducted in the Americas and South Asia observed purely negative effects. Overall, left-behind children show abnormal Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scores and report higher levels of depression and loneliness than children who do not live in transnational families. Evidence from the studies suggests that gender of the migrant parent, culture and other transnational family characteristics contribute to the well-being and mental health of left-behind children. Further research utilising longitudinal data is needed to better understand the complex and lasting effects on left-behind children.

scholarly journals Positive Youth Development and Wellbeing: Gender Differences

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina Tomé ◽  
Margarida Gaspar de Matos ◽  
Marta Reis ◽  
Diego Gomez-Baya ◽  
Filipa Coelhoso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
12Th Grade

The five C’s of positive youth development (PYD) (competence, confidence, character, caring, and connection) have been associated with adaptive development among young people. Gender differences in young people’s wellbeing and mental health have been studied and analyzed, but the investigation into their association with the five C’s is still in its infancy. In the present study, we analyzed the influence of the five C’s on the wellbeing, more specifically, anxiety, social alienation, general wellbeing, physical symptoms, and psychological symptoms, of Portuguese adolescents, by gender. Participants were 5th–12th grade students attending public schools in Lisbon, Portugal. The questionnaire was administered to 384 adolescents. The results indicated important gender differences in young people’s wellbeing. The results revealed some differences between genders that should be considered in interventions that aim to promote the wellbeing of adolescents. On the other hand, confidence was positively associated with mental health and wellbeing for both boys and girls, skill should be promoted among young people, because it was competence that revealed the greatest association with wellbeing, among the variables analyzed.

Factors At Work Promoting Mental Health And Wellbeing - A Systematic Literature Review

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Lindberg ◽  
Thomas Karlsson ◽  
Hasse Nordlof ◽  
Veronica Engstrom ◽  
Eva Vingard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Health And Wellbeing

Recommendations for a “Recovery” orientated apprenticeships scheme in mental health: a literature review

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 180-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Sapani
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Return To Work ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Outcome Evaluation ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Mental Health Distress

Purpose – Recovery principles have been central to debates in both the government and the mental health field, when thinking about the best way to support people who have experienced mental health distress into employment and education. The purpose of this paper is to review how this principle has been employed within the most effective approaches. This information will contribute to the development of the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust apprenticeship/return-to-work scheme for people who have experienced mental health distress. Design/methodology/approach – NHS evidence was used to undertake searches journals on CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, HMIC, AMED, BNI, HEALTH BUSINESS ELITE and the Cochrane Library. Common search terms used were as follows: apprentice*; mental illness*; mental disorder*; psychiatric; psychosis; chronic mental disorder*; patient*; service user*; client*; return to work schemes; work; employment; unemployment; peer worker*; supported employment; vocational rehabilitation; peer training*; outcome measure*; recovery. Findings – Although the available literature writing about these employment schemes were not explicit in using Recovery as its guiding principle (i.e. Hope, Control and Opportunity), many of the participants in studies about a particular type of supported employment called Individual Placement Support (IPS) referred to recovery concepts in their narrative accounts, i.e. doing work that is meaningful, building self-esteem. This particular type of employment scheme was shown to have better outcomes for people who have experienced mental health difficulties then others schemes. The importance of employers having systems in place to support people’s control/self-management of their mental health condition was a key factor in helping them retain jobs once they have got them. Originality/value – The SLaM education and training service plans to develop a return to work programme for people who have had lived experience of mental health distress, through a workforce skills apprenticeships scheme. This is first apprenticeship scheme of this type in London. Therefore, this paper will review the literature on previous and current employment programmes for people who have experienced mental health distress, specifically highlighting what has worked well and what could be improved. This paper will also draw on the literature presented in this review and conclude on key points, which will contribute to the development of SLaM’s apprenticeships scheme. This literature review will form the basis of further research about the outcome/evaluation of the actual apprenticeship scheme after the first year.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document