Moving Through the Trauma: Dance/Movement Therapy as a Somatic-Based Intervention for Addressing Trauma and Stress Among Syrian Refugee Children

Grasser, Lana Ruvolo; Al-Saghir, Heba; Wanna, Cassandra; Spinei, Jenna; Javanbakht, Arash

doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2019.07.007

Cited by 38 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The future accessibility, relevance, and ethical dissemination of existing MBPs will depend on adequate training of diverse MBP teachers/facilitators and on research agendas that prioritize overlapping areas of cultural humility, cultural accessibility, and trauma-sensitive delivery of MBPs, particularly for those affected by historical and intergenerational traumas. 441 Given the potential relationship between interoception and social power, 442 internalized oppression, 443 and chronic illness, 173 , 444 , 445 future research is needed on interventions that cultivate embodiment and interoception, 285 including movement, 446 drumming, 447 , 448 music, 449 – 452 and dance 453 —which may be more culturally accessible and specifically helpful for people with intergenerational trauma, 454 and serve to foster social connectedness for marginalized populations with chronic illnesses. 453 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindfulness and Behavior Change

Schuman‐Olivier

Trombka

Lovas

et al. 2020

Harv Rev Psychiatry

214

102

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Initiating and maintaining behavior change is key to the prevention and treatment of most preventable chronic medical and psychiatric illnesses. The cultivation of mindfulness, involving acceptance and nonjudgment of present-moment experience, often results in transformative health behavior change. Neural systems involved in motivation and learning have an important role to play. A theoretical model of mindfulness that integrates these mechanisms with the cognitive, emotional, and self-related processes commonly described, while applying an integrated model to health behavior change, is needed. This integrative review (1) defines mindfulness and describes the mindfulness-based intervention movement, (2) synthesizes the neuroscience of mindfulness and integrates motivation and learning mechanisms within a mindful self-regulation model for understanding the complex effects of mindfulness on behavior change, and (3) synthesizes current clinical research evaluating the effects of mindfulness-based interventions targeting health behaviors relevant to psychiatric care. The review provides insight into the limitations of current research and proposes potential mechanisms to be tested in future research and targeted in clinical practice to enhance the impact of mindfulness on behavior change.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindfulness and Behavior Change

Schuman‐Olivier

Trombka

Lovas

et al. 2020

Harv Rev Psychiatry

214

102

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“…Studies also suggest that mental health treatments that incorporate music may advance health by delivering benefits long associated with arts exposure and participation, such as increased social connectivity (Kreutz, 2014;Welch et al, 2014;Fancourt et al, 2016), additional health-enhancing behaviors (Theorell and Kreutz, 2012;Løkken et al, 2018), and the promotion of identity and resilience (Boggan et al, 2017;Zarobe and Bungay, 2017). Taking place in both clinical and community settings, studies of music's effects on mental health have been conducted within disciplines including psychology (McFerran et al, 2018;Pezzin et al, 2018); neurology (Ventouras et al, 2015;Tan et al, 2016); music therapy (Moe, 2002;Gold et al, 2006); nursing (McCaffrey and Locsin, 2002;Pölkki et al, 2012), dance therapy (Meekums et al, 2015;Campbell, 2020); and psychiatry (Grocke et al, 2008;Grasser et al, 2019), among others.…”

Section: Music and Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Music in the Treatment and Management of Serious Mental Illness: A Global Scoping Review of the Literature

et al. 2021

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Mental and substance use disorders have been identified as the leading cause of global disability, and the global burden of mental illness is concentrated among those experiencing disability due to serious mental illness (SMI). Music has been studied as a support for SMIs for decades, with promising results; however, a lack of synthesized evidence has precluded increased uptake of and access to music-based approaches. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify the types and quantity of research at intersections of music and SMIs, document evidentiary gaps and opportunities, and generate recommendations for improving research and practice. Studies were included if they reported on music's utilization in treating or mitigating symptoms related to five SMIs: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Eight databases were searched; screening resulted in 349 included studies for data extraction. Schizophrenia was the most studied SMI, with bipolar disorder studied the least. Demographics, settings, and activity details were found to be inconsistently and insufficiently reported; however, listening to recorded music emerged as the most common musical activity, and activity details appeared to have been affected by the conditions under study. RCTs were the predominant study design, and 271 unique measures were utilized across 289 primary studies. Over two-thirds of primary studies (68.5%) reported positive results, with 2.8% reporting worse results than the comparator, and 12% producing indeterminate results. A key finding is that evidence synthesis is precluded by insufficient reporting, widely varied outcomes and measures, and intervention complexity; as a result, widespread changes are necessary to reduce heterogeneity (as feasible), increase replicability and transferability, and improve understandings of mechanisms and causal pathways. To that end, five detailed recommendations are offered to support the sharing and development of information across disciplines.

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“…Therapeutic focus on separation anxiety should be a top priority for both care providers and intervention researchers. Creative arts and movement therapies have been found to be successful in addressing separation anxiety in refugee youth and may be considered for use in therapeutic, educational, and community settings (Grasser et al, 2019;Feen-Calligan et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our findings suggest that it is critical that mental health screening be included in the initial physical health screening protocol for newly arriving refugees, as early intervention may lead to more positive outcomes (Abu Suhaiban et al, 2019). Since these conditions are among the most highly prevalent health concerns in refugees (Abu Suhaiban et al, 2019), regular screening for them seems reasonable, and potentially efficacious as well as feasible community-based interventions to reduce trauma-related psychopathology in youth may include creative arts and movement therapies, which can be culturally adapted (Grasser et al, 2019;Feen-Calligan et al, 2020). Understanding the regions, contexts, social norms, cultures, and values from which individuals have sought refugee status is also critical, seeing as outcomes differ by ethnicity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trauma-Related Psychopathology in Iraqi Refugee Youth Resettled in the United States, and Comparison With an Ethnically Similar Refugee Sample: A Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2021

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BackgroundConflict in Iraq has displaced millions of refugee youth. Warzone exposure and forced migration have unique acute and chronic impacts on youth, yet effects of exposure may not be universal across diverse refugee groups. Understanding how youth from various refugee groups are differentially affected by stress and trauma is critical to allocate resources and implement screening measures with the goal of providing early intervention.MethodTo identify the effects of warzone exposure and forced migration, a convenience sample of 48 Iraqi refugee youth ages 6–17 was assessed within the first month of arrival to the United States. Youth provided self-reported severity of posttraumatic stress and anxiety symptoms; symptom severity was then compared with an existing sample of 135 Syrian refugee youth to explore whether refugee youth of different nationalities experience the same effects of warzone exposure and forced migration. These data are the baseline for a longitudinal developmental study of refugee health, which also includes parental data.ResultsSeverity of separation anxiety and negative alterations in cognition and mood were the greatest symptomatic concerns in Iraqi refugee youth. Thirty-eight percent of responding Iraqi youth showed possible indication of an anxiety disorder. Severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms was lower in Iraqi youth compared to Syrian youth. For both Iraqi and Syrian refugee youth, separation anxiety was the most significant concern, with more than 80% of both samples showing a possible indication of clinically significant separation anxiety.ConclusionThe present observational study indicated that Iraqi refugee youth experience a range of anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptoms following warzone exposure and forced migration; posttraumatic stress symptoms were less severe in Iraqi versus Syrian youth. Comparing refugee youth of different nationalities is of particular importance, as our results demonstrate that findings from one refugee population cannot easily be generalized to another. Clinical and research efforts should prioritize interventions to address separation anxiety in refugee youth, which was of concern in both samples.

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Moving Through the Trauma: Dance/Movement Therapy as a Somatic-Based Intervention for Addressing Trauma and Stress Among Syrian Refugee Children

Cited by 38 publications

References 7 publications

Mindfulness and Behavior Change

Mindfulness and Behavior Change

The Use of Music in the Treatment and Management of Serious Mental Illness: A Global Scoping Review of the Literature

Trauma-Related Psychopathology in Iraqi Refugee Youth Resettled in the United States, and Comparison With an Ethnically Similar Refugee Sample: A Cross-Sectional Study

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