Abstract
Crisis events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can have a devastating effect on communities and the care professionals within them. Over recent years, arts-based interventions have helped in a wide range of crisis situations, being recommended to support the workforce during and after complex crisis but there has been no systematic review of the role of arts-based crisis interventions and whether there are cogent themes regarding practice elements and outcomes. We, therefore, conducted a systematic review to (i) define the arts-based change process used during and after crisis events, and (ii) explore the perceptions of intermediate and long-term mental health benefits of arts-based interventions for professionals in caring roles. Our search yielded six studies (all qualitative). All data were thematically aggregated and meta-synthesized, revealing seven practice elements (a safe place, focusing on strengths and protective factors, developing psychosocial competencies to support peers, emotional expression and processing, identifying and naming the impact of the crisis, using an integrative creative approach, and cultural and organizational sensitivity) applied across all six studies, as well as a range of intermediate and long-term benefits shared common features (adapting, growing, and recovering; using the community as a healing resource; reducing or preventing symptoms of stress or trauma reactions, psychophysiological homeostasis). The ways in which these studies were designed independently from one another and yet used the same practice elements in their crisis interventions indicates that there is comparability about how and why the arts-based practice elements are being used and to what effect. Our findings provide a sound basis and meaningful parameters for future research incorporating quantitative and qualitative approaches to firmly establish the effectiveness of art-based interventions, and how arts can support cultural sensitivity, acceptability and indicated outcomes, particularly those relating to stress and trauma during or following a crisis.
Highlights
The recent COVID-19 pandemic resulted in care professionals being thrown into pressurized working environments, adapting their skills and demonstrating professional responsiveness and flexibility
The impact of crises on the mental health of care professionals is varied (Gavin et al, 2020; Zhang et al, 2020) first impressions suggest a rise in depression (Rajkumar, 2020), stress, paranoia, fear, traumatic responses, and bereavement complications (Chaturvedi, 2020; Ho et al, 2020; Huang et al, 2020; Rajkumar, 2020; Torales et al, 2020)
As, according to Perry (2018) and the available evidence, a crisis is described by human interactions, we conclude that interventions to help care professionals with their mental health and roles need to relate to the relational context and are required to be accessible and aligned with the professional needs of carers
Summary
The recent COVID-19 pandemic resulted in care professionals being thrown into pressurized working environments, adapting their skills and demonstrating professional responsiveness and flexibility. After examining substantial research, Perry (2018) resolves that crises are defined by the level and nature of human interactions relating to the event. This is evidenced by severe social reactions, for example, disillusionment (Centers for Disease Control Prevention, 2005), depression (Yildirim et al, 2020), and fear exacerbated by media coverage (Garfin et al, 2020). According to recent research, a successful crisis intervention is required to be helpful for individual care professionals, but should focus on how to enable successful community recovery (Rubin, 1985; Stehr, 2001; Chang and Miles, 2003; Jimerson et al, 2005; Kulig et al, 2014)
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