Art therapy with Syrian refugee youth in the United States: An intervention study

Abstract

This article describes a 12-week intervention program for Syrian refugee youth who have lived in the U.S. for approximately one year. The purpose of this study was to identify and develop art therapy interventions that would reduce stress and severity of trauma-related psychopathology while providing coping skills for youth aged 17 and under. Psychological questionnaire data were collected to obtain subjective and objective changes in trauma-related symptoms over the course of the art therapy program. The findings incited a large statistically significant effect of art therapy on posttraumatic stress and separation anxiety (p = .05; d >.8) compared to no treatment controls, and moderate effects of art therapy on anxiety, panic disorder, and GAD (d >.5) compared to no treatment controls. The reduction in stress was reflected behaviorally in participants’ positive affect, increased interest in art activities and increased coping (as evidenced through interaction with media, problem solving, participant initiated coping strategies and social support). The paper includes a review of relevant literature, description of select interventions, and recommendations for future work in art therapy with refugees.