The Need for Robust Critique of Arts and Health Research: Young People, Art Therapy and Mental Health

Katarzyna Grebosz-Haring; Leonhard Thun-Hohenstein; Anna Katharina Schuchter-Wiegand; Yoon Irons; Arne Bathke; Kate Phillips; Stephen Clift

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.821093

The Need for Robust Critique of Arts and Health Research: Young People, Art Therapy and Mental Health

Front Psychol. 2022 Feb 10:13:821093. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.821093. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Katarzyna Grebosz-Haring^{1

2}, Leonhard Thun-Hohenstein³, Anna Katharina Schuchter-Wiegand^{1

2}, Yoon Irons⁴, Arne Bathke⁵, Kate Phillips⁶, Stephen Clift⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Musicology and Dance Studies, Faculty of Art History, Musicology and Dance Studies, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
² Programme Area (Inter)Mediation. Music - Mediation - Context, Interuniversity Institution Knowledge and the Arts, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, University Mozarteum Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
³ Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
⁴ College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Health and Social Care Research Centre, University Professorial Council, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom.
⁵ Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
⁶ Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
⁷ Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom.

Abstract

We describe work in progress to conduct a systematic review of research on effects of arts-based programs for mental health in young people. We are at the stage of searching for relevant studies through major databases and screening extant systematic reviews for additional research which meet our inclusion criteria. At this stage, however, concerns have arisen regarding both the quality of existing primary studies and of recently published systematic reviews in this area of arts and health. As a case in point, in this paper we focus on one research report on art therapy with adolescent girls and its inclusion in three systematic reviews. We demonstrate that the reviews fail to undertake a robust critique of the Bazargan and Pakdaman paper and that the paper and reviews are flawed. Drawing on recent criticisms of systematic reviewing, we consider the value of proceeding with our systematic review as initially planned.

Keywords: arts; health; music; psychiatric disorders; review; youth.

Publication types

Review