A Review of the Effectiveness, Feasibility, and Acceptability of Art Therapy for Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Minh Ngoc Le VuAnh Linh DoLaurent BoyerQuy Chi TranStefan KohlerSyed Ishtiaque AhmedAndreea MolnarTung Son VuNhan Trong Huynh VoLinh Mai Vu NguyenLinh Gia VuVu Anh Trong DamThomy DuongDan Linh Nguyen DoNgoc Minh DoRoger S McIntyreCarl A LatkinRoger Chun-Man HoCyrus Su Hui HoPublished in: International journal of environmental research and public health (2022)
Art therapy has been widely offered to reduce symptoms of psychological disturbance. Pooled evidence about its effectiveness in epidemic contexts, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, has not been yet established. This study reviewed the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of art therapy on children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and past epidemics. We searched PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, CENTRAL (Cochrane Library), and CINAHL for articles on art therapy during COVID-19. Included studies reported improvements in measures of mental health, sleep quality, and psychological well-being in children with or without disabilities in the epidemic context. Results also showed that art therapy was highly feasible and accepted by children and adolescents as well as their families during epidemics in reviewed studies. Art therapy can be effective at improving various aspects of mental health, sleep quality, and psychological well-being. More empirical evidence is needed with larger sample sizes and longer duration of interventions.