Is it premature to formulate recommendations for policy and practice, based on culture and health research? A robust critique of the CultureForHealth (2022) report

Introduction: Arts and health practice and research has expanded rapidly since the turn of the millennium. A World Health Organization scoping review of a large body of evidence claims positive health benefits from arts participation and makes recommendations for policy and implementation of arts for health initiatives. A more recent scoping review (CultureForHealth) also claims that current evidence is sufficient to form recommendations for policy and practice. However, scoping reviews of arts and health research—without critical appraisal of included studies—do not provide a sound basis for recommendations on the wider implantation of healthcare interventions. Methods: We performed a detailed assessment of 18 Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) on arts-based interventions included in Section 1 of the CultureForHealth report using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool for RCTs (2023). Results: The 18 RCTs included demonstrated considerable risks of bias regarding internal and statistical conclusion validity. Moreover, the trials are substantially heterogeneous with respect to settings, health-issues, interventions, and outcomes, which limits their external validity, reliability, and generalisability. Conclusions: The absence of a critical appraisal of studies included in the CultureForHealth report leads to an overinterpretation and overstatement of the health outcomes of arts-based interventions. As such, the CultureForHealth review is not a suitable foundation for policy recommendations, nor for formulating guidance on implementation of arts-based interventions for health

The need for robust critique of arts and health research: young people, art therapy and mental health

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. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2022 Grebosz-Haring, Thun-Hohenstein, Schuchter-Wiegand, Irons, Bathke, Phillips and Clift.

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

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

Music-Related Activities for Mental and Physical Health in Children and Adolescents with Mental Disorders: Evidence from Recent Preliminary Studies.

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Music-Related Activities for Mental and Physical Health in Children and Adolescents with Mental Disorders: Evidence from Recent Preliminary Studies.

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Effects of group singing versus group music listening on hospitalized children and adolescents with mental disorders: A pilot study

Background: There is an emerging view that music-related interventions (MuRI) may play an important role for youth with mental disorders. Here, we assessed the potential neuroendocrine (cortisol), immune (IgA) and psychological (mood state, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), well-being) efficacy of a brief program of MuRI (group singing versus group music listening) in children and adolescents with mental disorders in a clinical setting. Methods: We performed this observational pilot study with 17 patients (aged 11–18; 11 female) admitted to the Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/PMU Salzburg, Austria between March 2015 and April 2016. Patients participated in either a singing program or a music listening program, delivered through five daily, consecutive 45-minute sessions in one week. Outcomes: Saliva samples for cortisol and IgA, and subjective measures of mood were taken daily, pre- and post-MuRI. HRQOL and well-being were measured pre- and post-5-day-program of MuRI. The program in singing led to a significantly larger mean drop in cortisol than in music listening (mean difference: −0·32; 95% CI −0·57 to −0·07), while listening led to a significantly higher mean positive change in the dimension calmness (mean difference: −2·66, 95%CI −4·99 to −0·33) than singing. Moreover, singing was associated with an improvement in HRQOL, and listening with an improvement in well-being. Interpretation: Our preliminary findings suggest that MuRI may provide benefits for children and adolescents with mental disorders. The differences in psychobiological responses to singing and music listening invite further investigations. A larger, suitably powered study is now needed to provide a precise estimate of the effects of MuRI for mental health promotion, both on psychological and biological experiences. Funding: Salzburg Festival, Austria, and Focus Area ‘Science and Art’, Salzburg, Austria

Supplementary Material, Supplementary_Material – Contemporary art music and its audiences: Age, gender, and social class profile

<p>Supplementary Material, Supplementary_Material for Contemporary art music and its audiences: Age, gender, and social class profile by Katarzyna Grebosz-Haring and Martin Weichbold in Musicae Scientiae</p

Audience Study on New Music Festivals as Agorai–Their Formation and Impact on Warsaw Autumn, Festival d’Automne in Paris, and Wien Modern Since 1980 (SUF edition)

Full edition for scientific use. This data set offers access to research data gathered in a broad-reaching comparative survey of contemporary (art) music audiences carried out between September and November 2014 in the context of the research project, “New Music Festivals as Agorai – Their Formation and Impact on Warsaw Autumn, Festival d´Automne in Paris, and Wien Modern since 1980.” With over 1500 structured questionnaires returned at 14 events across five different genres (corresponding to an overall response rate of 26%), this survey offers a representative, comprehensive and international view of audiences of contemporary music for the first time. Information was gathered in the following areas of interest: the socio-demographic composition of audiences, audience lifestyle, expertise and specific behavior patterns in the context of music and contemporary (art) music, the aesthetics of contemporary (art) music, attitude and motives regarding the festival attendance, and the mediating role of the festivals. In addition, attendees’ assessments of the presented music and their evaluations of individual events were investigated. The research also focused on the examination or accentuation of differences and similarities between the audiences of the three nationalities and of the different genres (large ensemble with conductor, small ensemble/chamber music, music theater, choir/vocal concert, mixed arts/multimedia performance, performance in the context of a music mediation project). The questionnaires were accompanied by participatory observations of rehearsals and their respective performances as well as by individual guideline interviews with attendees following the performances. The study follows the concept of the “culture-oriented creative city” (A. Reckwitz, 2012/2017, Die Erfindung der Kreativität - Zum Prozess gesellschaftlicher Ästhetisierung [The Invention of Creativity - Toward the Process of Social Aestheticization]), and in particular the approach of the “creativity-dispositive” (Reckwitz, 2012/2017; M. Foucault, 1980, The Confession of the Flesh), in order to consider a broader sociocultural interdependence in contemporary (art) music and shed light on the sociocultural structure of audiences

The need for robust critique of arts and health research: the treatment of the Gene Cohen et al. (2006) paper on singing, wellbeing and health in subsequent evidence reviews

Background This paper considers weaknesses in a study by Cohen et al. (2006) on the impacts of community singing on health. These include high demand characteristics, lack of attention to attrition, flawed statistical analysis, and measurement. Nevertheless, the study is uncritically cited, in evidence reviews, with findings taken at face value. Methods Google Scholar, SCOPUS and BASE citation functions for Cohen et al. identified 32 evidence reviews in peer-reviewed journals. Eleven of these reviews, published between 2010 and 2023, focused on creative arts interventions. Results We demonstrate limitations in the Cohen et al. research which undermine the conclusions they reach regarding the health benefits of group singing. Subsequent evidence reviews take the findings at face value and offer little critical commentary. Discussion We consider what is needed to improve evidence reviews in the field of creative arts and health research. Conclusions A more robust approach is needed in reviewing research evidence in the field of arts and health. The Cohen et al. paper is not suitable for inclusion in future evidence review