Effects of classroom-based creative expression programs on children's well-being

Schools are in a unique position to offer mental health support adapted to the needs and to the varying situations of children. One way to reach a wide number of children for mental healthcare interventions is through classroom-based programs. While several instances of creative arts therapies school projects are found in the literature, no critical review of classroom-based creative expression programs exists to date. Following a review of scientific publications, 19 articles referring to 8 different programs were identified and examined in order to explore what are the effects of classroom-based creative expression interventions on children's mental health. Overall, the results indicate that programs containing a major component of creative expression can be beneficial to children but this needs to be considered with moderation. On one hand, significant improvement was found in hope, coping and resiliency, prosocial behaviors, self-esteem, impairment, emotional and behavioral problems (especially aggressive behaviors), construction of meaning and PTSD scores. On the other hand, some studies also reported no significant change in prosocial behaviors, self-esteem, emotional and behavioral problems, coping and resiliency of adolescent boys and PTSD (for a lack of a targeted intervention). These mixed results raise important questions that need to be addressed in future research