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Redman H, Melendez-Torres GJ, Bethel A, Green J. The impact of school-based creative bibliotherapy interventions on child and adolescent mental health: a systematic review and realist synthesis protocol. Syst Rev 2024; 13:86. [PMID: 38481339 PMCID: PMC10936023 DOI: 10.1186/s13643-024-02482-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a need to identify evidence-based interventions to be delivered in schools that can be used to improve child and adolescent mental health and wellbeing. Creative bibliotherapy is one proposed intervention. However, there has been, to date, no comprehensive assessment of the evidence for its impact on mental health and wellbeing. To fill this gap, we will conduct a systematic review and realist synthesis. METHODS A systematic search of the bibliographic databases APA PsycINFO, Medline (via Ovid), CINAHL, ERIC, Education Research Complete (via EBSCOhost) and Web of Science (SCI, SSCI, AHCI, ESCI) for school-based creative bibliotherapy interventions on child and adolescent mental health. Types of study to be included: cohort studies, non-randomised comparative evaluations, randomised controlled trials. The data from all included studies will be summarised descriptively and strength of evidence appraised. This is a potentially large field of practice, with heterogeneous interventions; we will use methods from intervention components analysis to describe and categorise the range of components and approaches used in included interventions. To understand how interventions work and in which contexts, we will use methods from realist synthesis to develop an exploratory account of mechanisms in different settings and for different young people (contexts). DISCUSSION Findings will assess the range of evidence for the impact of creative bibliotherapy on child and adolescent mental health and wellbeing, the strength of evidence for the impact identified, and describe potential mechanisms. This review will be useful for a wide range of stakeholders considering implementing or developing interventions using creative bibliotherapy in school-based settings. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION This protocol was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ ), registration number CRD42023410333. This review is funded by Wellcome Trust (221457/Z/20/Z).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley Redman
- Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - G J Melendez-Torres
- Department of Public Health and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Alison Bethel
- NIHR ARC South West Peninsula (PenARC) University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK
| | - Judith Green
- Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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Troscianko ET, Holman E, Carney J. Quantitative methods for group bibliotherapy research: a pilot study. Wellcome Open Res 2024; 7:79. [PMID: 38435449 PMCID: PMC10905136 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17469.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Bibliotherapy is under-theorized and under-tested: Its purposes and implementations vary widely, and the idea that 'reading is good for you' is often more assumed than demonstrated. One obstacle to developing robust empirical and theoretical foundations for bibliotherapy is the absence of analytical methods capable of providing sensitive yet replicable insights into complex textual material. This pilot study offers a proof-of-concept for new quantitative methods including VAD (valence-arousal-dominance) modelling of emotional variance and doc2vec modelling of linguistic similarity. Methods VAD and doc2vec modelling were used on conjunction with qualitative coding to analyse transcripts of reading-group discussions plus the literary texts being discussed, from two reading groups each meeting weekly for six weeks (including 9 participants [5 researchers (3 authors, 2 collaborators), 4 others] in Group 1, and 8 participants [2 authors, 6 others] in Group 2). Results In-text-discussion similarity was inversely correlated with emotional volatility in the group discussions (arousal: r = -0.25; p = ns; dominance: r = 0.21; p = ns; valence: r = -0.28; p = ns). Enjoyment or otherwise of the texts was less significant than other factors in shaping the significance and potential benefits of participation. (Texts with unpleasant or disturbing content that strongly shaped subsequent discussions of these texts were still able to sponsor 'healthy' discussions of this content.). Conclusions Our methods and findings offer for the field of bibliotherapy research both new possibilities for hypotheses to test, and viable ways of testing them. In particular, the use of natural language processing methods and word norm data offer valuable complements to intuitive human judgement and self-report when assessing the impact of literary materials. We also share observations on facilitation protocols, interpretative practices, and how our group reading model differs from other trials of group reading for wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily T. Troscianko
- The Oxford Research Centre for the Humanities, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Zhang L, Wan R, Iyendo TO, Apuke OD, Tunca EA. A randomized control trial establishing the effectiveness of using interactive television-based art, music, and poetry therapies for treating the post-traumatic stress disorder of children exposed to traumatic events. Psychiatry Res 2023; 330:115582. [PMID: 37979317 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of interactive television-based music, art, and poetry therapies in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder among school children who have experienced abduction. A randomized control trial was adopted using school children from three selected secondary schools in Northern Nigeria that have experienced the issue of kidnapping. The treatment is characterized by (1) group setting, (2) TV instruction (3) school collaboration, and (4) use of artistic mediation. The study sample comprised 470 students randomly divided into a control group of 235 and an experiment group of 235. The treatment group was further divided into art (N = 78), music (N = 78) and poetry (N = 79), respectively. Results suggest that interactive television art, music and poetry therapies are an effective intervention strategy for reducing the PTSD of school children who have experienced kidnapping in Nigeria. However, art therapy is more effective in reducing PTSD. This study has offered empirical evidence that could guide the planning and implementation of therapies aimed at assisting school children to recover from traumatic experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- College of Literature Law and art, East China University of Technology, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, China.
| | - Ran Wan
- Architecture and Design College, Nanchang University, No.999, Xuefu Road, Honggu district, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, China, 330031.
| | - Timothy Onosahwo Iyendo
- Department of Architecture, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nile University of Nigeria, Plot 681, Institute Area, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria.
| | - Oberiri Destiny Apuke
- Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Department of Mass Communication, Taraba State University, PMB 1167 Jalingo, Nigeria.
| | - Elif Asude Tunca
- The European University of Lefke, Faculty of Communication Sciences, Department of New Media and Journalism, Lefke, Northern Cyprus, TR-10 Mersin, Turkey.
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Hosseini M, Punzi E. “ Through my poems, I wanted a sense of recognition” : Afghan unaccompanied refugee minors’ experiences of poetic writing, migration, and resettlement. JOURNAL OF POETRY THERAPY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/08893675.2022.2147033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Hosseini
- Department of Social Work, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Elisabeth Punzi
- Department of Social Work, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
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Carney J, Robertson C. Five studies evaluating the impact on mental health and mood of recalling, reading, and discussing fiction. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266323. [PMID: 35395034 PMCID: PMC8993009 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Does reading fiction improve mental health and well-being? We present the results of five studies that evaluated the impact of five forms of exposure to fiction. These included the effects of recalling reading fiction, of being prescribed fiction, of discussing fiction relative to non-fiction, and of discussing literary fiction relative to best-seller fiction. The first three studies directly recruited participants; the final two relied on scraped social media data from Reddit and Twitter. Results show that fiction can have a positive impact on measures of mood and emotion, but that a process of mnemonic or cognitive consolidation is required first: exposure to fiction does not, on its own, have an immediate impact on well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Carney
- The London Interdisciplinary School, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Cole Robertson
- Center for Language Studies, Radboud University, Radboud, Netherlands
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Pettersson C. “Another Way to Talk About Feeling Bad”. Creative Interactive Bibliotherapy – A Complement to Treatment for Women with Mental Illness After Childbirth. JOURNAL OF POETRY THERAPY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/08893675.2021.2004369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Pettersson
- Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Tribe KV, Papps FA, Calvert F. “It just gives people hope”: A qualitative inquiry into the lived experience of the Harry Potter world in mental health recovery. ARTS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2021.101802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Sagi B. “Only when it’s written here”: personal writing as testimony in the aftermath of childhood sexual abuse. JOURNAL OF POETRY THERAPY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/08893675.2021.1921475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bella Sagi
- Department of Bibliotherapy, David Yellin Academic College of Education, Jerusalem, Israel
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Stip E, Östlundh L, Abdel Aziz K. Bibliotherapy: Reading OVID During COVID. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:567539. [PMID: 33364987 PMCID: PMC7750194 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.567539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
An epidemic of an infectious disease such as COVID-19 is often a source of emotional distress, even among those who have not been directly exposed to the disease. The period following the acute phase of the coronavirus epidemic and the mitigation measures will likely be hardest for medical professionals in terms of psychological impact. Bibliotherapy is a systematic intervention regarding the use of carefully selected reading materials in order to help persons to cope with stress and personal problems. This therapy can be used easily during the pandemic. The review of evidence shows that this kind of intervention can be helpful in educational and clinical contexts. During the crisis, it can be an alternative to video and film entertainment and a transition from serious medical journal clubs to a softer medical humanities experience. In this article, we summarized the historical background of bibliotherapy. We also proposed a reading list from different times, and cultures relating to pandemic, quarantine, symptoms, confinement, and social impacts (e.g., Camus, Moravia, London, Le Clezio etc.). Bibliotherapy can be a way for doctors and healthcare workers fighting on the frontline of the pandemic to find psychological support and for debriefing. Bibliotherapy can help individuals that need support for emotional distress during the pandemic to verbalize their feelings and emotions and identify new ways of addressing problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Stip
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
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Carney J. Culture and mood disorders: the effect of abstraction in image, narrative and film on depression and anxiety. MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2020; 46:430-443. [PMID: 31672734 PMCID: PMC7786153 DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2018-011459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Can cultural representations be used to therapeutic effect in the treatment of mood disorders like depression and anxiety? This article develops a theoretical framework that outlines how this might be achieved by way of mid-level cultural metrics that allow otherwise heterogeneous forms of representation to be grouped together. Its prediction is that abstract representations-as measured by Shannon entropy-will impact positively on anxiety, where concrete representations will positively impact on depression. The background to the prediction comes from construal level theory, a branch of social psychology that deals with the effects of abstraction on psychological distance; the types of cultural representations analysed include image, narrative and film. With a view to evaluating the hypothesis, the article surveys the empirical literature in art therapy, creative bibliotherapy and cinema therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Carney
- Arts & Humanities/Centre for Culture and Evolution, Brunel University London, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, UK
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Dali K, Vannier C, Douglass L. Reading experience librarianship: working with readers in the 21st century. JOURNAL OF DOCUMENTATION 2020. [DOI: 10.1108/jd-06-2020-0105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
PurposeAddressed to the audience of LIS educators at all levels, from full-time and adjunct faculty teaching in LIS programs, to librarians and library consultants delivering professional development training, to practitioners who work with readers in all types of libraries, this article makes a case for replacing the term “readers' advisory” with the term “Reading Experience (RE) librarianship” as a designator of the current professional practice.Design/methodology/approachUsing historical and discursive analysis based on the extensive literature review, this article argues that a number of factors call for the change in terminology: changes in the human factor (i.e., changes in readers and reading behavior; and changes in relationships between readers and librarians) and changes in the library environment (the rise of “experience” in libraries; a greater commitment to outreach and community engagement; and the fact that librarians are already practicing RE librarianship without recognizing it as such). It also examines the role of LIS educators in fostering and supporting RE librarianship.FindingsOn the one hand, the new terminology will be more reflective of the work that reader service librarians currently do, thus doing justice to a wide range of activities and expanded roles of librarians; on the other hand, it will serve as an imperative and a motivator to further transform reader services from in-house interactions with and programs for avid readers into a true community engagement, with much broader goals, scope and reach.Originality/valueThe article stands to coin a new professional term for the transformed library practice, thus recording a radical change in longstanding professional activities and encouraging new community-oriented thinking about the expanded role of librarians in promoting reading in diverse social environments.
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Troscianko ET. Fiction-reading for good or ill: eating disorders, interpretation and the case for creative bibliotherapy research. MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2018; 44:201-211. [PMID: 29680807 DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2017-011375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Compared with self-help bibliotherapy, little is known about the efficacy of creative bibliotherapy or the mechanisms of its possible efficacy for eating disorders or any other mental health condition. It is clear, however, that fiction is widely used informally as a therapeutic or antitherapeutic tool and that it has considerable potential in both directions, with a possibly significant distinction between the effects of reading fiction about eating disorders (which may-contrary to theoretical predictions-be broadly negative in effect) or one's preferred genre of other fiction (which may be broadly positive). Research on creative bibliotherapy, especially systematic experimental research, is lacking and requires a medical humanities approach, drawing on knowledge and methods from psychology and cognitive literary studies as well as clinical disciplines to expand our understanding of how the dynamic processes of interpretation mediate between textual structures and characteristics of mental health and illness.
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Pettersson C. Psychological well-being, improved self-confidence, and social capacity: bibliotherapy from a user perspective. JOURNAL OF POETRY THERAPY 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/08893675.2018.1448955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Pettersson
- Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Troscianko ET. Literary reading and eating disorders: survey evidence of therapeutic help and harm. J Eat Disord 2018; 6:8. [PMID: 29692896 PMCID: PMC5902994 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-018-0191-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is growing evidence for the efficacy of self-help bibliotherapy as a treatment for eating disorders, although little understanding of how specific linguistic characteristics may enhance or constrain its effects. Meanwhile, 'creative bibliotherapy' (the therapeutic use of fiction, poetry, or sometimes film, rather than self-help books) is widely practised, but even more poorly understood than the self-help variety: although a range of theoretical models exist, claims of the healing power of literature are far more commonly made than tested. METHODS An online survey including quantitative (forced-choice) and qualitative (free-response) items was designed and administered in collaboration with the charity Beat to investigate the connections between respondents' reading habits and their mental health, with a focus on eating disorders, and attracted 885 respondents. Responses to two sequences of questions, exploring the differential effects of fiction about eating disorders versus respondents' preferred genre of other fiction on the dimensions of mood, self-esteem, feelings about one's body, and diet and exercise habits, were analysed using a 2 × 2 repeat measures factorial ANOVA design for each of the four dependent variables. RESULTS Surprisingly, fiction about eating disorders was perceived by respondents as broadly detrimental to mood, self-esteem, feelings about their bodies, and diet and exercise habits, while respondents' preferred genre of other fiction was experienced as beneficial to mood and broadly neutral on the other three dimensions. The free-response data added detail to these core findings, as well as suggesting numerous other possible effects and mechanisms, drawing attention to the roles of positive and negative feedback structures and of highly selective interpretive filtering, and highlighting the dangers of 'self-triggering': using books to deliberately exacerbate an eating disorder. CONCLUSIONS The findings directly challenge existing theoretical models of creative-bibliotherapeutic mechanisms, which tend to insist on the importance of a close match between the reader's and the protagonist's situations. They point the way forward for a new programme of clinical research and practice by suggesting other ways to conceive of how embodied cognitive acts of textually cued interpretation may intervene in the psychopathology of an eating disorder - for good and for ill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily T Troscianko
- 1The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Radcliffe Humanities, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG UK
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