The Use of Art Therapy in Alleviating Mental Health Symptoms in Refugees: A Literature Review

There are over thirty million refugees globally with severe experiences of trauma.Art therapy intervention allows for nonverbal expression and could alleviate mental health symptomatology among refugees.The present review’s aim was to integrate and summarize the previous research which examined the effects of visual arts on alleviating psychological conditions of refugees.However,due to the paucity of studies which solely used visual arts,we included studies that used visual arts alongside other modalities as part of an expressive arts therapy intervention.The present review synthesizes studies that examined the effect of art therapy on mental health issues of refugees from January 2000 to March 2021.Seven studies(child and adolescent sample,N=5 and adult sample,N=2)with a total of 298 refugee participants(n=298)met our inclusion criteria.The participants were from the Middle East and North Africa(MENA),Southeast Asia,and Europe.We found three commonly reported mental health disorders,namely Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD),anxiety,and Major Depression Disorder.The research highlights how art therapy interventions could be a great starting point to alleviate symptomatology among refu-gees.Four additional benefits of art therapy which were commonly reported across the seven studies emerged from this review:working with traumatic experience/loss,rebuilding social connection and trust,nonverbal com-munication and self-expression of loss and trauma,and retelling stories.Art therapy interventions could be used as a starting point in the healing process of traumatized refugees to encourage verbal articulation of their feelings and reduce mental health symptoms.Despite these promisingfindings,due to a dearth of robust methodologies,further research is required to assess the long-term effectiveness of art therapy.

Factors That Influence Anti-Retroviral Therapy Adherence among Women in Lilongwe Urban Health Centres, Malawi

Introduction: Sub-SaharanAfricaremains most severely affected, with nearly1 inevery 20 adults (4.9%) living with HIV and this is accounting for 69% of the people worldwide. Although the regional prevalence of HIV infection is nearly 25 times higher in sub-Saharan Africa than in Asia, almost 5 million people are living with HIV in South, South-East and East Asia combined. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to find out the factors that influence anti-retroviral therapy adherence among women in Lilongwe Urban,Malawi. Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional design was used to study multi sites using quantitative methods. The sites were ART clinics at Area 18 health centre, and Area 25 health centre. A questionnaire was used to a convenient sample of 118 HIV positive women. Quantitative data from close-ended questions were coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), version 16. Logistic regression model was used to execute the potential covariates. Findings: ART adherence among women is influenced by knowledge levels on: perceived importance and consequences for not adhering to ART;Short waiting time;good relationships with the next of kin and service providers;trust and effective coping mechanisms to stressful events. Source of information was highly associated with adherence in the logistic regression OR ≤ 2.89;CI (1.66 ± 5.38);p (0.039). Moreover, Short waiting time of the women at the hospital during the ARV refill period is highly associated with ART adherence level OR ≤ 4.11;CI (2.05 ± 6.12);p (0.021). On the other hand, factors that contribute to non-adherence are reduced knowledge level p0.002;Side effects of ART;bad relationships with service providers and relationship with the next of kin as well as occupation of the clients (women). Conclusion: Despite stressful events to HIV positive living women, this study revealed that the majority of these participants would continue taking ART if the factors are very minimal. Encouraging the women who stop taking ART particularly in urban health centres due to such factors like religious beliefs that God is superior and will heal them would influence the ART survival rate in Malawi.

Viral Characteristic of HIV Infected Patients Naïf of Anti-Retroviral Therapy with CD4+ T Lymphocytes Rate Greater than 350 per Microliter of Blood in LoméTogo

Objective: To evaluate the virological status of ineligible HIV patients for anti-retroviral therapy based on the criterion of CD4+ T lymphocytes rate over than 350/μl of blood. Method: This is a prospective study which was conducted from November 2011 to July 2012 in the tropical and infectious disease department of CHU Sylvanus Olympio of Lomé. All HIV-1 infected patients whose CD4+ T lymphocytes rate was ≥350/μl of blood were retained. The count of CD4+ T lymphocytes was made by cytometer FACSCalibur? flow of BD biosciences and the determination of viral load was achieved by NASBA laboratory method of Biomérieux. Results: We have recruited 102 PLWHA aged between 19 and 58 years with a median of 35 years. Biologically, 102 patients had a T-CD4 rate between 355 and 432/μl of blood. The determination of viral load showed a very high viral replication more than 10,000 copies/ml among all patients and 28 (27.5%) patients had a viral load > 100,000 copies/ml of blood. Conclusion: Our results argue for a reconsideration of the criteria for starting antiretroviral therapy in Togo by including virological data if necessary in patients with T-CD4 rate below 500/μl of blood.

Do adjunctive art therapies reduce symptomatology in schizophrenia? A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Art therapies are advocated by national bodies,such as the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence,to alleviate the negative symptoms associated with schizophrenia.The last decade has however,seen several new larger well-controlled trials published suggesting an update is timely.AIM To asses randomised controlled trials(RCT)of art therapies for reducing the symptoms of schizophrenia–particularly negative symptoms.METHODS Searches of PubMed and Scopus were conducted until May 2019 for RCTs examining the impact of art therapies on psychosis(positive,negative and total)symptoms in people diagnosed with schizophrenia.Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.Random effects meta-analyses were used to derive overall effect sizes.Moderator analyses were conducted using both metaregression and categorical comparisons.RESULTS We identified 133 articles,of which 9 RCTs involving 948 participants(475 assigned to art therapies and 473 controls)met our inclusion criteria.Using random effects models,we calculated pooled effect sizes(Hedges g)for end-oftrial symptomatic outcomes.Effect sizes both for total symptoms[g=-0.27,95%confidence interval(CI)-0.60 to 0.05,k=6]and for positive symptoms(g=-0.10,95%CI-0.35 to 0.15,k=6)were non-significant;however,we did find significant reduction of negative symptoms(g=-0.42,95%CI-0.70 to-0.14,k=9).Metaregression revealed that negative symptom reduction was larger in trials with a greater proportion of women and in trials with younger patients.Crucially,the negative symptom reduction following art therapies was limited to lower quality trials and did not emerge in trials that used blind assessment of outcomes.CONCLUSION This review presents a comprehensive meta-analysis of art therapies in schizophrenia in terms of both studies included and participant numbers.We found that art therapies did not significantly reduce total or positive symptoms.A"small"therapeutic effect was found for negative symptoms,but we show that the effect is not present in blind trials and may be subject to publication bias.

Environmental influence in the forested area toward human health: incorporating the ecological environment into art psychotherapy

This study on the development of a psychotherapy program based on the relationship between forests and human health focused on actively considering the natural ecological environment. This study categorized and compared an art psychotherapy program that simply moved to an outdoor space and a forest-art therapy program that actively utilized the forest environment as a medium. The characteristics of the natural environment, such as openness, change, and diversity, shortened the amount of time participants took to develop a rapport and open up and played a vital role in recovering mental health. After a bold attempt at integrating forest environment and art psychotherapy by going beyond outdoor art therapy, there were significant results pertaining to improvements in mental disorders in today’s society, including stress vulnerabilities, depression, anxiety, and aggression. The research results verified that the developed forest-art therapy method had greater efficacy in relation to both the Stress Vulnerability-Interpersonal Sensitivity Scale and the Stress Vulnerability-Self-Regulation Scale.

Changes in Autonomic Nervous System Activity and Mood of Healthy People after Mindfulness Art Therapy Short Version

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and mood caused by Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version (MATS). The participants were 20 Japanese college students who were separated into high and low risk groups based on the median score of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). MATS consisted of mindfulness exercise and making of art in one session. ANS activity (TP: total energy, LF/HF: sympathetic nervous, HF: parasympathetic nervous system, LF: both sympathetic and parasympathetic) and mood (TA: tension arousal, EA: energy arousal) were measured psychologically before and after MATS. In the high risk group, TP significantly decreased and LF, HF, and LF/HF did not change significantly;while TA significantly decreased and EA significantly increased. In the low risk group, TP and LF significantly increased and HF and LF/HF did not change significantly;while TA significantly decreased and EA showed a non-significant increase. These results suggest that MATS affects the ANS differently for participants with different states of mental health, and particularly promotes activity in low-risk participants. Psychologically, MATS decreased tension or anxiety and increased energy. These findings justify further use of this therapy.

Advances in art therapy for patients with dementia

In this article, the theoretical basis and development status of art therapy are introduced, and the intervention methods and effectiveness of art therapy in patients with dementia are reviewed. To date,nursing intervention via art therapy with dementia patients in China has been rarely investigated, and the design of this type of investigation must be improved.

Potentiality of Mindfulness Art Therapy Short Version on Mood of Healthy People

The present study examined the potential of Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version on mood of healthy people. The Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version consisted of two sessions and included factors of both mindfulness and art therapy. The Art Therapy alone consisted of two sessions including factors of art therapy. Seventeen college students received the Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version and twenty-two students received Art Therapy alone. All participants completed the Profile of Mood States pre- and post-interventions in each session. In the Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version group, scores for Tension-Anxiety, Depression-Dejection, and Fatigue-Inertia reduced and those for Vigor-Activity significantly increased after the program. In the Art Therapy group, although scores for Tension-Anxiety and Fatigue-Inertia decreased, the scores of Depression-Dejection and Vigor-Activity did not significantly change. The score of Total Mood significantly decreased only in the Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version. These results suggest that the Mindfulness Art Therapy Short Version may be more affective for improving mood, particularly depression and vigor, compared to Art Therapy alone.

Comparison Study of Art Therapy and Play Therapy in Reducing Anxiety on Pre-School Children Who Experience Hospitalization

Pain and hospitalization caused a crisis in the child’s life. At the pre-school children, the stress of the disease makes children become less able to cope with separation. As a result, many children show anxious behavior though more vague than toddler age children. Various ways have been conducted by nurses to treat anxiety in children, but the most effective types of the intervention have not be found. Types of intervention that can be done are art therapy and play therapy. This study aims to compare the effects of art therapy and play therapy in reducing anxiety on children who experience hospitalization. A quasi-experimental research design with pre-post test two group design is used. The sample was 23 children pre-school age for art therapy group and 25 children for play therapy with sampling techniques performed purposive sampling. Intervention of art therapy and play therapy each performed for 3 days with duration about 30 minutes. Anxiety levels before and after the intervention were measured by using the facial affective scale. The results show that there is a difference in anxiety between before and after the action in the art therapy group (p = 0.00) and that there are differences in anxiety before and after the action in the play therapy group (0.00). But statistical tests using Man Whitney U indicate that there is no difference in anxiety levels in pre-school children who do art therapy and play therapy (p = 0.26). So, it is concluded that the art therapy and the play therapy can reduce the level of anxiety on pre-school school children that experience hospitalization. Based on these conclusions, it is recommended that the art therapy and the play therapy can be used by nurses and the choice of the intervention should be submitted to the child.

Art making and expressive art therapy in adult health and nursing care:A scoping review

Objectives:While receptive art engagement is known to promote health and wellbeing,active art engagement has not been fully explored in health and nursing care.This review is to describe the existing knowledge on art making and expressive art therapy in adult health and nursing care between 2010 and 2020.Methods:Relevant studies and grey literature were searched and identified between March 17 and April 10,2020 from EBSCO,CINAHL,Medline and ERIC databases and a general Internet search.Following data charting and extraction,the data(n=42 papers)were summarized and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines.Results:In the included papers,both art making and expressive art therapy were seen in different health care and nursing contexts:yet not the home care context.The emphasis of art activities were group activities for chronically or terminally ill residents,adults aged 65 years or older.A focus on personal narrative was often seen,which may explain why art activities appear to be linked to acknowledging and building new strengths and skills,making meaning of experiences,personal growth,symptom alleviation,and communication;all used to foster collaboration between patients,patients’near-ones and health care professionals.Conclusions:Art activities appear to be suitable for every context and can promote personcenteredness and the measurement of nursing outcomes,and they should be considered an essential part of health and nursing care,nursing education and care for health care personnel.

Art Therapy to Improve Quality of Life of Cancer Patients and Their Carers in Bangladesh

Objective: Art as a therapy helps in reparation and recovery. The aim of this study was to see the response of the cancer patients and their carers residing in Bangladesh towards art therapy and the perceived effect of art therapy on their physical and psychological condition. Method: The study was a record review study conducted through a cross-sectional descriptive method from July to November 2018. Along with the cancer patients, their immediate carers were enrolled in this study since patients and their carers both suffer from the distress that comes with the diagnosis of cancer. In-depth interviews and focused group discussions of art therapy were conducted with our study population at BPSCF and BSMMU. Findings: After art therapy, there was an improvement in sensory perception and self-perception, physical and psychological condition, communication and social skills and helped in more personal integration and built stronger insight among the patients and carers. Majority of the participants of art therapy felt good and wanted to continue art therapy. Significance of results: The results of this study will help to create awareness among the community about the importance of psychotherapies like art therapy in the life of the cancer patients and their carers. Introducing the concept of art therapy will also help the public health practitioners to improvise palliative care services in Bangladesh in a very cost-effective approach.

Changes in the Autonomic Nervous System and Moods of Advanced Cancer Patients by Mindfulness Art Therapy Short Version

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and moods before and after participation in a Mindfulness Art Therapy Short version (MATS). The study design was non-randomized controlled trial in intervention study. Participants were 10 Japanese patients with advanced cancer. They received the MATS in one session, which consisted of mindfulness practices and making arts. Their Autonomic Nervous System (sympathetic nervous, parasympathetic nervous) physiologically and mood (Tense Arousal: TA, Energetic Arousal: EA) psychologically were measured before and after the MATS. The results showed that the level of parasympathetic nervous system decreased and that the sympathetic nervous system increased in small effect size. The TA decreased in a large effect size and EA increased in a middle effect size. These results suggested that the MATS might activate physiologically, alleviate tension and increase energy psychologically.

The Study of Art Therapy on College Students’ Life Education

The university stage is an important stage of life to acquire independent personality and establish three views.Life education is the most effective way to help college students establish correct and healthy three views.However,the theory of“life education”and the way of“strict and rigid”are too weak to carry out life education for college students.Art therapy is a therapeutic mode to understand human subconscious mind,heal mind and develop psychology by using art form.Through the combination of art therapy theory and life education theory,students’participation is high,teaching technology is rich,teaching process is relaxed and pleasant,which is an effective scientific method for college students’life education activities.It has special significance to promote college students to realize the ideal of life.

Helping adolescents develop self-realization using art therapy

This report explored psychodynamic developments that adolescents undergo in their process of self-realization and self-identification, including separation-individuation and ego development. The paper maked a case for art therapy as a resource and non-confrontational outlet to guide adolescents through their development and search for their self-identity. The role of the art therapist is presented as an alternative source of support and containment which may be lacking through the adolescents’ peers and parents. The paper ultimately argued that art therapy had many therapeutic qualities that could help the adolescent in their search and consolidation of the self.

Art is therapy

Arts therapy has become more and more popular in a number of medical fields by integrating the physical, emotional, and spiritual treatment. As the importance of psychosocial aspects in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases has been better recognized and understood, the interest in arts therapies for clinical routine treatment has also increased. Arts therapy is an umbrella term for therapies such as music therapy, sound therapy, drama therapy, dance therapy, and art therapy with visual arts materials.

献血者使用HIV抗病毒治疗药物对血液安全的影响

目的分析深圳市无偿献血者中使用抗病毒治疗(ART)药物对血液安全的潜在风险。方法应用液相色谱-质谱联用技术(HPLC-MS/MS),检测定期献血者(阴性对照组n=86)、抗-HIV阳性检出者(实验组n=98,检出于2019—2023年约44万献血者)血浆中ART药物,探明阴性对照组ART药物血浆基线浓度,分析使用ART药物对血液安全的影响。结果86例阴性对照组血浆标本未检测到基线浓度的ART药物;98例实验组1∶2人份混合血浆标本中,经拆分确证检出4例ART药物标本,ART药物检出率为4.08%。其中,3例检出ART药物替诺福韦、拉米夫定、依非韦伦,1例检出拉米夫定、洛匹那韦、利托那韦、齐多夫定。结论深圳地区抗-HIV阳性检出者中存在使用ART药物情况,需要进一步探究此类人群献血动机,识别高危人群,保障血液安全。

照片艺术治疗在高职大学生自我意识完善与发展中的应用研究

目的:以高职大学生为对象,以照片艺术治疗活动为介质,探讨其对促进高职大学生自我意识完善与发展的影响。方法:实验时间分为两个阶段,分别是:2022年3月至6月和2023年3月至6月,通过发布招募信息,学生主动报名,采取随机分组的方式分为实验组(20人)和控制组(20人)。主要观察指标为:自我接纳问卷、自尊量表、自我调控能力问卷、自我认同量表、田纳西自我概念量表。实验组接受8次照片艺术治疗团体心理辅导;控制组不接受任何实验处理。结果:实验组成员经过照片艺术治疗团体心理辅导后其自我意识发生了显著的提升(p<0.05),相较于控制组也呈现出显著性差异(p<0.05)。此外,四周后的追踪结果显示照片艺术治疗团体辅导对学生自我意识的完善与发展方面仍具有持续作用(p<0.05),但这取决于学生通过团体辅导对照片治疗的理念和方法内化于心、外化于行的效果。结论:照片艺术治疗是促进高职大学生自我意识完善与发展的有效途径。

环境媒介与具身交互:艺术疗愈空间的热点与趋势

在人们情绪压力不断增大的当今社会,艺术疗愈以其创造性特征和非语言媒介帮助疗愈对象改善心理或身体状态,旨在讨论艺术疗愈空间中的环境媒介与疗愈过程中的具身交互关系、设计实践与价值。借助CiteSpace可视化软件分析近十年来的重要文献,揭示艺术疗愈的研究现状;运用文献计量学方法,探索环境媒介在艺术疗愈空间的应用,定义环境媒介的具身性、主体间性、沉浸性特征及三者间的关联;以具身交互理论为线索,结合设计案例分析疗愈空间中环境媒体的具身性实践与作用方式,以期进一步探索结合新兴技术的环境媒介未来在我国的应用发展。艺术疗愈空间的环境媒介能具身地影响疗愈对象的交互行为与认知,提高疗愈的效率和质量。环境媒介与具身交互能增进疗愈过程中的不同主体间的体验共享,并辅助疗愈对象沉浸地参与或融入艺术疗愈;数字技术的发展不断地丰富环境媒介的形式,提高艺术疗愈的效果。

基于二元应对的宫颈癌患者夫妻参与式绘画疗法干预方案构建研究

目的基于二元应对理论构建宫颈癌患者夫妻参与式绘画疗法干预方案,旨在缓解宫颈癌患者夫妻的心理压力并改善亲密关系。方法通过文献回顾、小组讨论拟定方案草案,选取20名专家开展2轮函询对草案进行修订形成初稿,开展预试验进一步完善形成终稿,在82对宫颈癌患者夫妻中进行验证。结果专家函询权威系数为0.91、第2轮函询肯德尔协调系数W为0.316(P<0.001),每个条目适用性评分>4.6分,变异系数<0.14。该方案最终形成以自我了解、彼此表达、感动的事、回首岁月、夫妻同心、携手同行为主题的6场干预,2组宫颈癌患者夫妻在干预前、干预3场后、干预结束后的心理压力、二元应对、婚姻调适得分时间效应、交互效应、组间效应均有统计学意义(P<0.001)。结论基于二元应对理论构建的宫颈癌患者夫妻参与式绘画疗法干预方案,充分考虑了宫颈癌患者夫妻的心理状态及专家意见,具有较好的科学性、实用性和临床意义,能够为宫颈癌患者夫妻缓解心理压力、改善亲密关系提供临床参考。