Online art therapy in elementary schools during COVID-19: results from a randomized cluster pilot and feasibility study and impact on mental health

• 主要な著者: Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise (著者), Terra Léger-Goodes (著者), Geneviève A. Mageau (著者), Geneviève Taylor (著者), Catherine M. Herba (著者), Nicholas Chadi (著者), David Lefrançois (著者)
• フォーマット: 図書
• 出版事項: BMC, 2021-03-01T00:00:00Z.
• 主題: article
• オンライン･アクセス: Connect to this object online.

要約

Abstract Background Emerging literature on the current COVID-19 crisis suggests that children may experience increased anxiety and depression as a result of the pandemic. To prevent such school and mental health-related problems, there is a timely need to develop preventive strategies and interventions to address potential negative impacts of COVID-19 on children's mental health, especially in school settings. Results from previous child clinical research indicate that art-based therapies, including mindfulness-based art therapy, have shown promise to increase children's well-being and reduce psychological distress. Objective The goal of the present pilot and feasibility study was to compare the impact of an emotion-based directed drawing intervention and a mandala drawing intervention, on mental health in elementary school children (N = 22), in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both interventions were group-based and delivered online and remotely. A pilot study using a randomized cluster design was implemented to evaluate and compare both interventions in relation to child anxiety, depression, inattention and hyperactivity symptoms. Results Analyses of covariance revealed a significant effect of the type of drawing intervention on levels of inattention, after controlling for baseline levels. Participants in the emotion-based directed drawing group showed lower inattention scores at post-test, when compared to participants in the mandala group. Post-hoc sensitivity analyses showed significant decreases in pre-to-post scores for levels of hyperactivity for the complete sample. Conclusion Overall, results from this pilot and feasibility study showed that both an emotion-based directed drawing intervention and a mandala drawing intervention may be beneficial to improve mental health in elementary school children, in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. From a feasibility standpoint, results indicate that the implementation of both interventions online and remotely, through a videoconference platform, is feasible and adequate in school-based settings. Further work incorporating larger sample sizes, longitudinal data and ensuring sufficient statistical power is warranted to evaluate the long-term impact of both interventions on children's mental health.

記述事項

10.1186/s13034-021-00367-5
1753-2000