Evaluation of Arts based Courses within a UK Recovery College for People with Mental Health Challenges.

Joanna Stevens,Adrian Whittington,Catherine Butterfield,Sue Holttum

doi:10.3390/ijerph15061170

Abstract

No previous studies have evaluated arts based recovery college courses. Yet arts may assist in personal recovery, as often defined by service users, through social connection and personal meaning. This interdisciplinary study evaluated (i) whether self-reported wellbeing and arts activities increased following arts based recovery college courses, and (ii) how students, peer trainers and artist-trainers understood courses’ impact. The design was mixed-methods. Of 42 service user students enrolling, 39 completed a course and 37 consented to provide data. Of these, 14 completed pre and post course questionnaires on mental wellbeing and 28 on arts participation. Post course focus groups were held with six of eight peer trainers and five of seven artist-trainers, and 28 students gave written feedback. Twenty-four students were interviewed up to three times in the subsequent nine months. There were statistically significant increases in self-reported mental wellbeing and range of arts activities following course attendance. At follow-up 17 of 24 students reported improved mental wellbeing, while seven reported little or no change. Some spoke of increased social inclusion and continuing to use skills learned in the course to maintain wellbeing. Initial in-course experience of ‘artistic growth’ predicted follow-up reports of improvement. Future controlled studies should employ standardized measures of social inclusion and arts participation.

Highlights

In relation to mental health and recovery, research suggests that participatory arts activities can increase people’s sense of hope, meaning and identity [2], and confidence, connectedness and empowerment [2,3]
Some studies have reported that arts activities and their community context were experienced as a welcome change from a mental health service environment and its focus on illness, and that new creativity and an artistic identity could be forged [2,3,4]
The improvement on the CHoice of Outcome in Cbt for Psychoses (CHOICE) questionnaire short form, which only assesses severity, was comparable to that reported for participants on this subscale following cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for psychosis [40]

Summary

Introduction

A 2017 UK parliamentary enquiry on Arts, Health and Wellbeing [1] 34) identified, “An expanding body of evidence to support the contention that the arts have an important contribution to make to health and wellbeing.”. In relation to mental health and recovery, research suggests that participatory arts activities can increase people’s sense of hope, meaning and identity [2], and confidence, connectedness and empowerment [2,3]. Some studies have reported that arts activities and their community context were experienced as a welcome change from a mental health service environment and its focus on illness, and that new creativity and an artistic identity could be forged [2,3,4]. Public Health 2018, 15, 1170; doi:10.3390/ijerph15061170 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

Results

Discussion

Conclusion