Preferences for group arts therapies: a cross-sectional survey of mental health patients and the general population

Abstract

ObjectivesThe arts therapies include music therapy, dance movement therapy, art therapy and dramatherapy. Preferences for art forms may play an important role in engagement with treatment. This survey was an initial exploration of who is interested in group arts therapies, what they would choose and why.DesignAn online cross-sectional survey of demographics, interest in and preferences for the arts therapies was designed in collaboration with patients. The survey took 10 min to complete, including informed consent and 14 main questions. Summary statistics, multinomial logistic regression and thematic analysis were used to analyse the data.SettingThirteen National Health Service mental health trusts in the UK asked mental health patients and members of the general population to participate.ParticipantsA total of 1541 participants completed the survey; 685 mental health patients and 856 members of the general population. All participants were over 18 years old, had capacity to give informed consent and sufficient understanding of English. Mental health patients had to be using secondary mental health services.ResultsApproximately 60% of participants would be interested in taking part in group arts therapies. Music therapy was the most frequent choice among mental health patients (41%) and art therapy was the most frequent choice in the general population (43%). Past experience of arts therapies was the most important predictor of preference for that same modality. Expectations of enjoyment, helpfulness, feeling capable, impact on mood and social interaction were most often reported as reasons for preferring one form of arts therapy.ConclusionsLarge proportions of the participants expressed an interest in group arts therapies. This may justify the wide provision of arts therapies and the offer of more than one modality to interested patients. It also highlights key considerations for assessment of preferences in the arts therapies as part of shared decision-making.

Bringing creative psychotherapies to primary NHS Mental Health Services in the UK: A feasibility study on patient and staff experiences of arts for the blues workshops delivered at Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services

“…Offering a safe and structured opportunity to access and express these feelings can lead to cathartic expression and a sense of experiential relief. From Supporting the views of over 60% of the participants in the survey of service users and members of the public who value creative methods in psychotherapy (Millard et al, 2021), the service users participating in this study also championed the need for creative psychotherapies in the NHS. It could be argued that the group of service users in this study, as a self-selected convenience sample that were already attendees of an arts and crafts group, could skew the findings presented here.…”

“…It is possible that the combination of art forms within sessions can meet different preferences for art media, as reported by service users and the general public in recent studies (Millard et al, 2021).…”

“…As service users and staff reported in this study, it can generate fear: the fear of movement or kinesiophobia (Shim et al, 2017) or, in the case of the visual work, the fear of the ‘blank page’ (Chilton, 2007), both of which were raised by service users and staff in this research. It is possible that the combination of art forms within sessions can meet different preferences for art media, as reported by service users and the general public in recent studies (Millard et al, 2021). Combining art forms can also, as Natalie Rogers (1997) argued, offer new and useful perspectives on the issues explored.…”

“…A recent publication by Millard et al (2021) reports that over 60% of service users and the general public participating in a national survey would like to see creative forms of psychological interventions available when they contact services. However, creative psychotherapies are often offered in a very patchy way, despite the growing evidence and associated guidelines that recommend these interventions for different mental health concerns.…”

Developing a strategy to scale up place-based arts initiatives that support mental health and wellbeing: A realist evaluation of ‘Arts for the Blues’

“…The charity MIND identified arts-based approaches as one of their clients’ top preferences for psychological support [ 12 ], whilst clients in deprived areas also reported their preference for more creative interventions [ 13 ]. More recently, a survey completed by Millard et al [ 14 ] that included 1541 participants (685 mental health patients and 856 members of the general population) showed that 60% were very interested in group arts therapies. However, non-verbal, creative, arts-based interventions such as therapies are rarely used in the North West of England in statutory services.…”