MESOC Serapeum | Where culture meets AI

Id		176
Author		Hacking, S.; Secker, J.; Spandler, H.; Kent, L.; Shenton, J.
Title		Evaluating the impact of participatory art projects for people with mental health needs.
Reference		Hacking, S., Secker, J., Spandler, H., Kent, L., & Shenton, J. (2008). Evaluating the impact of participatory art projects for people with mental health needs. Health and Social Care in the Community, 16(6): 638–648.
Keywords		community settings; empowerment; evaluation; mental health; participatory art project
Link to article		https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2524.2008.00789.x
Abstract		Participatory art projects for people with mental health needs typically claim outcomes such as improvements in confidence, self‐esteem, social participation and mental health. However, such claims have rarely been subjected to robust outcome research. This paper reports outcomes from a survey of 44 female and 18 male new art project participants attending 22 art projects in England, carried out as part of a national evaluation. Outcomes were quantified through self‐completed questionnaires on first entry to the project, during January to March of 2006, and 6 months later. The questionnaires included three measures: empowerment, mental health Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE) and social inclusion. Paired t‐tests were used to compare overall change, and mixed model repeated measures analysis of variance to compare subgroups, including age, gender, educational level, mental health and level of participation. Results showed significant improvements in empowerment (P = 0.01), mental health (P = 0.03) and social inclusion (P = 0.01). Participants with higher CORE scores, no new stress in their lives and positive impressions of the impact of arts on their life benefited most over all three measures. Positive impressions of the impact of arts were significantly associated with improvement on all three measures, but the largest effect was for empowerment (P = 0.002) rather than mental health or social inclusion. This study suggests that arts participation positively benefits people with mental health difficulties. Arts participation increased levels of empowerment and had potential to impact on mental health and social inclusion.
Metodology		The 102 projects participating in the project survey were identified from national databases of art and mental health projects, invitations on the Arts Council and Social inclusion Websites, mailing lists and personal contacts (see Hacking et al . 2006 for full details). Fifty‐one of these projects with a mix of self referred, general practitioner referred and people referred from secondary services, expressed interest in participating in the outcome study. Outcome measures used for the study were included in a single questionnaire administered to new participants during January to March of 2006 within 4 weeks of joining the project, and at 6 months later.
Technique		questionnaire