Group-based performing arts therapies reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to a new study.
Researchers looked at the effect of these forms of therapy on symptom severity, well-being, quality of life, functional communication and social participation.
The study involved 669 participants with anxiety and/or depression from nine countries.
It covered five broad forms of performance art. These were dance therapy, music therapy, art therapy, martial arts-based therapies and theater.
Dance was the most studied art form.
The team reviewed 171 studies carried out between 2004 and 2021 and found 12 to focus their research on.
Anxiety and depression severity were the outcomes that received the most interest among researchers.
A quarter of studies also looked at well-being, such as satisfaction with life and how the arts improved people’s ability to interact socially.
Only two studies looked at quality of life, while no studies looked at the benefits on everyday communication.
According to the mental health charity Mind, one in four people will experience a mental health problem each year in England.
What’s more, one in six people report that they experience a common mental health problem, such as anxiety and depression, in any given week in England.
Five of the studies looked at how dance helped improve mental health. Each one found that dance significantly improved depression and anxiety.
Among the three studies that investigated the benefits of art therapy, such as clay art therapy, levels of anxiety and depression also significantly improved.
While the study found that performing arts therapies showed promise, there is plenty of room for development.
Study author Dr. Max Barnish, from the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “Anxiety and depression are major global health challenges, for which we desperately need non-drug treatments that reduce symptoms.
“Our review found real promise across a range of studies but this field of research has stagnated.
“We now need researchers to work across the performing arts to compare group therapies to each other, so we can establish which type of activity is most effective in reducing symptoms.”
Produced in association with SWNS Talker
Edited by Saba Fatima and Asad Ali
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