Inherent commonalities between arts-based leisure activities and psychological therapies

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Research
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Rising prevalences of anxiety and depression in high-income countries strain mental health services.
• There is a growing need for accessible, complementary strategies to support mental health resilience.
• Everyday behaviors that promote well-being are gaining attention alongside traditional interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how arts-based leisure engagement impacts transdiagnostic processes in mental health conditions.
• To examine the commonalities and distinctions between arts-based leisure and formal psychological therapies.
• To identify research priorities for integrating arts-based leisure into mental health care.

Main Methods:

• This is a Personal View, synthesizing existing evidence and theoretical perspectives.
• The review analyzes cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral processes.
• It discusses therapeutic contextual factors and compares arts-based leisure with creative arts therapies.

Main Results:

• Arts-based leisure activities demonstrate meaningful psychological benefits across diverse mental disorders.
• These activities engage core transdiagnostic processes similar to psychological therapies.
• Overlaps exist in activated principles, processes, and therapeutic factors like relationships and expectancy.

Conclusions:

• Arts-based leisure engagement offers a promising avenue for enhancing mental health resilience.
• Further research, including head-to-head trials and culturally diverse studies, is needed.
• Explicit integration into mental health care pathways in high-income contexts should be considered.