Creative Arts Interventions for Mental Health

Creative arts therapies—encompassing activities like choral singing, painting, clay art, and broader art therapy—offer nonpharmacological strategies to enhance mental and emotional well-being. These interventions harness creative expression to reduce psychological distress, improve cognitive function, and elevate quality of life across diverse populations.

Protocols Studied in Research

Choral Singing and Painting for Chronic Pain, Mood, Quality of Life, and Cognition [1]

• Protocol: In this multicenter randomized controlled trial, 59 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease were assigned to a 12‑week intervention of either choral singing (n = 31) or painting sessions (n = 28). Outcomes—including chronic pain, anxiety, depression, quality of life, and cognitive abilities (digit span, inhibitory processes, and verbal memory)—were assessed before, after, and one month post‑intervention.
• Outcome: Both interventions significantly reduced pain, anxiety, and improved quality of life, as well as enhanced digit span and inhibitory processes. Notably, depression decreased over time only in the painting group, whereas verbal memory remained stable in the singing group but declined in the painting group. These findings suggest differential benefits of these creative arts interventions for patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.

Clay Art Therapy for Depression in Adults with Major Depressive Disorder [2]

• Protocol: In this randomized controlled trial, 106 adult outpatients with major depressive disorder were randomized to either a clay art therapy (CAT) group or a visual art (VA) control group, each undergoing six weekly sessions of 2.5 hours. Outcomes were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory, a 12‑item General Health Questionnaire, the Body-Mind-Spirit Well-Being Inventory, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, with assessments at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 3 weeks post-intervention.
• Outcome: CAT produced significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms, general health, and overall well-being compared to the VA control, with significant reductions in alexithymia observed at follow-up in the CAT group. These results indicate that short-term clay art therapy may offer an effective, nonpharmacological approach to enhance emotion regulation and mental health in depressed individuals.

Art Therapy (Intervention) for Improving Mental Health in Subfertile Women [3]

• Protocol: In this pilot study, 21 subfertile women (mean age 35.7 years, with an average infertility duration of 64 months) participated in weekly 2‑hour group art therapy sessions. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed using the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory, administered before and after the course, along with a qualitative exit questionnaire.
• Outcome: Art therapy was associated with significant reductions in hopelessness and depressive symptoms, with the Beck Hopelessness Scale score falling from 6.1 to 3.5 and the depression score from 19.8 to 12.5 (both P = 0.01). Although anxiety scores decreased, this change did not reach statistical significance. Qualitative feedback indicated that participants found the therapy insightful, powerful, and enjoyable, supporting its potential as an inexpensive, non-pharmacological mental health intervention for subfertile women.

Research Interpretation: Summary and Conclusion

In simple terms, the studies suggest that creative arts interventions can yield significant mental health benefits, though the effects may differ by modality and target group. In patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease, both choral singing and painting sessions reduced pain and anxiety, improved quality of life, and enhanced certain cognitive functions, with painting uniquely reducing depression and singing better preserving verbal memory. In adults with major depressive disorder, clay art therapy produced superior improvements in depressive symptoms, overall health, and emotion regulation compared to a visual art control. Similarly, art therapy in subfertile women significantly decreased hopelessness and depressive symptoms, with participants reporting positive, transformative experiences.

Collectively, these findings underscore the potential of creative arts as accessible, effective interventions for improving mental health and well-being.

Publications

[1] Pongan E, Tillmann B, Leveque Y, Trombert B, Getenet JC, Auguste N, Dauphinot V, El Haouari H, Navez M, Dorey JM, Krolak-Salmon P, Laurent B, Rouch I; LACMé Group. Can Musical or Painting Interventions Improve Chronic Pain, Mood, Quality of Life, and Cognition in Patients with Mild Alzheimer's Disease? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial. J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;60(2):663-677. doi: 10.3233/JAD-170410. PMID: 28922159.

[2] Nan JKM, Ho RTH. Effects of clay art therapy on adults outpatients with major depressive disorder: A randomized controlled trial. J Affect Disord. 2017 Aug 1;217:237-245. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.04.013. Epub 2017 Apr 11. PMID: 28433887.

[3] Hughes EG, da Silva AM. A pilot study assessing art therapy as a mental health intervention for subfertile women. Hum Reprod. 2011 Mar;26(3):611-5. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deq385. Epub 2011 Jan 18. PMID: 21247921.