Reaching the hard to reach: quantitative and qualitative evaluation of school-based arts therapies with young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

A Scoping Review on the Use and Potential of School-Based Drama Therapy to Enhance Socio-emotional Skills in Early Childhood

Drama therapy incorporates play, imaginary engagement, embodiment, and perspective taking to promote interpersonal skills and affective functioning. Existing school-based drama therapy (SBDT) research has demonstrated utility with select populations; however, much of the SBDT literature has featured disparate findings. Absent from the current literature is a thorough synthesis of the benefits of SBDT for socio-emotional development in early childhood, an age cohort that may be well suited for drama therapy due to the method's theoretical and practical focus on action, symbolism, and play. A scoping review was conducted to answer the research question: What is the use and potential of SBDT to enhance socio-emotional skills in early childhood? Following a thorough database and manual search, 406 articles were identified and, after screening, 16 articles met the inclusion criteria. Based on the results, practice recommendations include the use of metaphor, distance, and life-drama connection to enhance socio-emotional skills, using dramatic play as a tool to address adverse experiences, and applying SBDT to support specific clinical populations. Policy recommendations include the use of SBDT within a public health trauma approach and the need for ecological integration of SBDT into schools. Research recommendations include the need for a broad-level articulation of a scaffolded SBDT research agenda in schools focused on socio-emotional skills and recommendations specific to methodological and reporting rigor.

Dance Movement Therapy for Clients With a Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis

Background: People with a personality disorder (PD) suffer from enduring inflexible patterns in cognitions and emotions, leading to significant subjective distress, affecting both self and interpersonal functioning. In clinical practice, Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) is provided to clients with a PD, and although research continuously confirms the value of DMT for many populations, to date, there is very limited information available on DMT and PD. For this study, a systematic literature review on DMT and PD was conducted to identify the content of the described DMT interventions and the main treatment themes to focus upon in DMT for PD.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted across the following databases: EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, WEB OF SCIENCE, PsycINFO/OVID, and SCOPUS following the PRISMA guidelines. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for qualitative studies was used to rank the quality of the articles. The Oxford Center for Evidence-based Medicine standards were applied to determine the hierarchical level of best evidence. Quantitative content analysis was used to identify the intervention components: intended therapeutic goals, therapeutic activities leading to these goals, and suggested therapeutic effects following from these activities. A thematic synthesis approach was applied to analyze and formulate overarching themes.

Results: Among 421 extracted articles, four expert opinions met the inclusion criteria. Six overarching themes were found for DMT interventions for PD: self-regulation, interpersonal relationships, integration of self, processing experiences, cognition, and expression and symbolization in movement/dance. No systematic descriptions of DMT interventions for PD were identified. A full series of intervention components could be synthesized for the themes of self-regulation, interpersonal relationships, and cognition. The use of body-oriented approaches and cognitive strategies was in favor of dance-informed approaches.

Conclusions: Dance movement therapists working with PD clients focus in their interventions on body-related experiences, non-verbal interpersonal relationships, and to a lesser extent, cognitive functioning. A methodological line for all intervention components was synthesized for the themes of self-regulation, interpersonal relationships, and cognition, of importance for developing systematic intervention descriptions. Future research could focus on practitioners' expertise in applying DMT interventions for PD to develop systematic intervention descriptions and explore the suitability of the identified themes for clinical application. Clients' experiences could offer essential insights on how DMT interventions could address PD pathology and specific PD categories.

The arts and the social determinants of health: findings from an inquiry conducted by the United Kingdom All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing

Background: The United Kingdom All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing was formed in 2014 and, the following year, initiated an Inquiry into the relationship between arts engagement, health and wellbeing. This led to a substantial report being launched in Parliament in July 2017.Methods: The Inquiry comprised 16 round-table discussions, a series of expert meetings and a lengthy period of desk-based research. The latter applied a realist method in seeking to reconcile policy, practice and evidence. Consideration of the social determinants of health formed the theoretical framework.Results: Evidence was found of a beneficial relationship between arts engagement, health and wellbeing across the life course.Conclusions: Arts engagement can mitigate the social determinants of health by influencing perinatal mental health and child cognitive development; shaping educational and employment opportunities and compensating for work-related stress; building individual resilience and enhancing communities. Further research is needed in this area.