Ho Rainbow T H, Chan Caitlin K P, Fong Ted C T, Lee Pandora H T, Lum Derek S Y, Suen S H
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
Front Psychol. 2020 Jun 11;11:1286. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01286. eCollection 2020.
People with intellectual disabilities have difficulties expressing their views and can manifest psychological and behavioral symptoms. The present study aimed to examine the effects of expressive arts-based intervention (EABI) on the behavioral and emotional well-being of adults with intellectual disabilities.
This study assigned 109 Chinese adults with intellectual disabilities into EABI ( = 55) or control groups ( = 54) using stratified randomization. Pre- and post-intervention quantitative assessments were conducted of aberrant behaviors, personal well-being, mood and color usage in drawings. Focus group interviews were conducted with the EABI participants and their caseworkers at the post-intervention stage. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance evaluated the EABI effects with age, gender and degree of intellectual disability as covariates, and latent profile analysis examined the patterns of color usage in drawings. Qualitative thematic analysis was performed on the interview data.
The interview findings suggest that the EABI group was more emotionally expressive and stable after the intervention. Compared to the control group, the EABI group tended to use more diverse colors and leave less empty space in their drawings. No significant overall improvements were found in the EABI group with respect to aberrant behaviors, mood or personal well-being. Among males, the EABI participants showed significantly more anger and less energetic moods than those in the control group. Among females, the EABI participants showed significantly lower levels of aberrant behavior than those in the control group.
The results of this study suggest that expressive arts-based interventions have different effects on the emotional and behavioral well-being of male and female participants. Moreover, increased color usage may imply a more positive state of emotional well-being.
智障人士在表达自己的观点方面存在困难，并且可能表现出心理和行为症状。本研究旨在探讨基于表达性艺术的干预措施（EABI）对成年智障人士行为和情绪健康的影响。
本研究采用分层随机化方法，将109名中国成年智障人士分为EABI组（n = 55）和对照组（n = 54）。在干预前后对异常行为、个人幸福感、情绪和绘画中的色彩使用进行了定量评估。在干预后阶段，对EABI参与者及其个案工作者进行了焦点小组访谈。重复测量协方差分析以年龄、性别和智障程度作为协变量评估EABI的效果，潜在剖面分析检查绘画中色彩使用的模式。对访谈数据进行了定性主题分析。
访谈结果表明，干预后EABI组在情感表达上更丰富且更稳定。与对照组相比，EABI组在绘画中倾向于使用更多样化的颜色，留白更少。EABI组在异常行为、情绪或个人幸福感方面未发现显著的总体改善。在男性中，EABI参与者比对照组表现出更多的愤怒情绪和更低的活力情绪。在女性中，EABI参与者的异常行为水平显著低于对照组。
本研究结果表明，基于表达性艺术的干预措施对男性和女性参与者的情绪和行为健康有不同影响。此外，色彩使用的增加可能意味着情绪健康状况更积极。
