Creative health for children and young people’s mental health

Studies of creative health approaches in child and adolescent mental health show:

• Engaging with the arts helps young people cope with their feelings and distract them from negative thoughts [1]
• Participating in creative activities positively impacts behaviour, self-confidence, emotional regulation, relationship building and sense of belonging, contributing to resilience and mental wellbeing [2], [3]
• Arts activities have been identified as ‘active ingredients’ that help young people with anxiety and depression, particularly those with experiences of trauma, with evidence of significant decreases in symptoms in experimental studies [4]
• Music-based interventions can be effective in reducing depression and anxiety in children and adolescents [5]
• When art is used to boost self-esteem in children it brings annual per-person benefits of £134 [6]

Image Credit: Penpol painting and shock ArtsLab Project (FEAST) © Penpol Primary School, Photographer Steve Tanner

The National Centre for Creative Health

NCCH supports health and care sector professionals in organisations and systems to achieve the benefits of creative health approaches for patients and service users.

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Downloadable information

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