Trauma-informed art and play therapy: Pilot study outcomes for children and mothers in domestic violence shelters in the United States and South Africa

Abstract

BackgroundWhile intimate partner violence (IPV) has well documented impact on women and children, few interventions have been tested for mothers and children in the domestic violence shelter system. ObjectiveWe used mixed methods to explore effects of a pilot intervention combining trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) (verbal therapy method) with art and play therapy (non-verbal therapy methods) in New York City and Johannesburg, to compare efficacy between high and low-middle income contexts. Participants and settingSchool-aged children and their mothers from one domestic violence shelter in each city were invited to participate. MethodsChildren were screened for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Children participated in a weekly group session lasting 1−2 hours over 12 weeks and mothers received 3 group sessions. Quantitative data comprised pre-and post-intervention child self-reports (n = 21) and mother’s report (n = 16) of child depressive and PTSD symptoms. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with children (n = 11) and mothers (n = 8) who completed the intervention. ResultsAt baseline, children showed high rates of symptoms of probable depression and probable PTSD (33 % and 66 % respectively). By endline, depressive symptoms significantly reduced (mean of 13.7–8.3,p = 0.01) and there was a non-significant trend towards PTSD improvement (40.0–34.4, p = 0.21). Children revealed the art helped them express difficult emotions and experiences with their mothers. Multiple children felt it assisted in managing challenging behaviours. ConclusionThis pilot trauma-informed art and play therapy group intervention holds promise in mitigating the effects of IPV for children and mothers in domestic violence shelters.