Art and Wellbeing

Self-esteem is an important aspect of wellbeing that creative expression and arts engagement has found to have a positive impact on. Mak and Fancourt (2019) found that self-esteem increased in children when they regularly engaged with music, drawing, painting or reading at home with their parents. Similarly, engagement with music, poetry and drama has a positive impact on self-esteem across multiple dimensions (personal, social, academic and parental) in university students (Yücesan, E., & Şendurur, Y, 2018). These findings suggest that engaging with different art forms can support to improve the wellbeing of both adults and children in their local environments. 

Mak, H.W. and Fancourt, D., 2019. Arts engagement and self‐esteem in children: results from a propensity score matching analysis. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1449(1), pp.36-45.
Yücesan, E., & Şendurur, Y. (2018). Effects of music therapy, poetry therapy, and creative drama applications on self-esteem levels of college students. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 31(1), 26-39. 

Narrative storytelling is a creative tool that has been found to be beneficial for development of identity as it helps young people to process and engage with their life experiences. This is especially important for people who belonged to marginalised groups who often experience several difficult life experiences that pre-dispose them to mental health difficulties. Anderson & Mack (2019) found that a digital storytelling program for young Black Americans from disadvantaged backgrounds helped them to create positive and promising identity systems. Similarly, research has found that poetry and creative writing was a positive identity formation tool for at-risk youth and youth from lower economic backgrounds (Mazza 2012 & and Clauss-Ehlers 2020) 

Anderson, K. M., & Mack, R. (2019). Digital storytelling: A narrative method for positive identity development in minority youth. Social Work with Groups, 42(1), 43-55.
Mazza, N. (2012). Poetry/creative writing for an arts and athletics community outreach program for at-risk youth. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 25(4), 225-231. 

As children spend a majority of their time in school, how they feel about and engage with school is an important aspect of their wellbeing. Research by Clark and Basilio 2021 showed that opportunities for playfulness and creativity at school enhance wellbeing and their sense of connectedness with others and with school. This was true especially for adolescents for whom playfulness at school is often discouraged. Their findings show that creating space for artistic exercises at school create those opportunities for playfulness and that the availability of these opportunities predicted how satisfied the young people felt at school. 

Clarke, T., & Basilio, M. (2018). Do arts subjects matter for secondary school students’ wellbeing? The role of creative engagement and playfulness. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 29, 97-114. 

The ability to manage difficult life events is an important skill that supports mental health and wellbeing throughout our lifetimes. In a rapid review of the research exploring the relationship between art and resilience, Zarobe, & Bungay, (2017) show how art engagement and creative expression supports children and young people to develop resilience through the development of self-esteem, confidence, relationships and belonging.  

Zarobe, L., & Bungay, H. (2017). The role of arts activities in developing resilience and mental wellbeing in children and young people a rapid review of the literature. Perspectives in public health, 137(6), 337-347. 

Exploring the mechanisms behind why creativity promotes emotional expression, Keeling, M. L., & Bermudez, M. (2006) identified that creative exercises allow for the positive externalisation of problems. They found that creative exercises such as narrative writing or sculpting that engage provide a way for young people to see their problems outside of themselves, regain a sense of agency over their challenges and perceive their problems in new ways. 

Keeling, M. L., & Bermudez, M. (2006). Externalizing problems through art and writing: Experience of process and helpfulness. Journal of marital and family therapy, 32(4), 405-419. 

Research exploring the relationship between arts, wellbeing and nature is slowly emerging. Recent research shows that artistic practise can be used outdoors to facilitate connectedness to nature which is another element of wellbeing. Moula, Palmer, & Walshe (2022), conducted a systematic review exploring the interrelated research between arts and nature and found that arts in nature methods engage both adults and young people with the environment, facilitate environmental awareness and reduce eco-anxiety. 

Moula, Z., Palmer, K., & Walshe, N. (2022). A Systematic Review of Arts-Based Interventions Delivered to Children and Young People in Nature or Outdoor Spaces: Impact on Nature Connectedness, Health and Wellbeing. Frontiers in psychology, 13. 

There is a growing movement within rehabilitation using art and creativity to shift away from seeing physical ability as the main determinant of wellbeing. In a scoping review of the research exploring the use of visual-art practise in the rehabilitation of children with disabilities, it was found that engagement with art programs increases psycho-social wellbeing (Edwards, Smart, King, Curran, & Kingsnorth, 2020). 

Edwards, B. M., Smart, E., King, G., Curran, C. J., & Kingsnorth, S. (2020). Performance and visual arts-based programs for children with disabilities: a scoping review focusing on psychosocial outcomes. Disability and rehabilitation, 42(4), 574-585.