Taniguchi Yuko, Costa Olivia, Ortega Athen, Hayee Shanze, Friedman Josie, DiMaggio-Potter Michaelle E, Bright Jered, Wu Peng, Mejia Angie P, Bernstein Gail A, Mueller Bryon A, Klimes-Dougan Bonnie, Koutstaal Wilma, Cullen Kathryn R
Center for Learning Innovation, University of Minnesota Rochester, 300 University Square, 111 South Broadway, Suite 300, Rochester, MN, 55904, USA.
Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts, UMN, N218 Elliott Hall, 75 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2025 Apr 2;19(1):38. doi: 10.1186/s13034-025-00893-6.
A growing body of literature suggests that creative arts interventions can effectively support mental health and well-being in young people. We recently reported that after participating in "Creativity Camp"- a 2-week creative arts group intervention- 69 adolescents with depression showed significantly reduced depression symptoms and improved ratings of well-being. To understand the key processes impacting adolescents during and after this intervention, this study applies a multi-informant qualitative data approach.
Qualitative data collection methods included participatory observation notes taken during the Creativity Camp sessions and interviewing the adolescents and their parents or guardians at the end of the intervention and six months later. We analyzed data using Constructivist Grounded Theory and triangulated the findings from both sets of data to gain comprehensive and reliable interpretation.
We found several key processes in the adolescents' experiences during and after camp: internal negotiation between novelty and discomfort, exploring playfulness and responsibility, discovering the uniqueness of self and others, flexible approach toward life, and an expanded view of creativity. From parent interviews, we found that their children expanded personal boundaries and enthusiasm through deep engagement, empowered perspective, and sustained enthusiasm. Triangulating the data from both sources, we constructed a theory that explains the benefits of Creativity Camp on adolescent well-being: "Personal growth by navigating the world as an artist."
The qualitative analysis identified key processes from the Creativity Camp intervention, along with changes and long-term impacts that may have fostered personal growth. The framework of navigating the world through an artist's lens as a pathway to personal growth presents a novel contribution to existing knowledge and practice in art-based interventions for adolescents with depression. This insight can help shape the design of future arts-in-health approaches for supporting adolescent mental health.
越来越多的文献表明，创意艺术干预可以有效促进年轻人的心理健康和幸福感。我们最近报告称，69名患有抑郁症的青少年在参加了为期两周的创意艺术团体干预活动“创意营”后，抑郁症状显著减轻，幸福感评分有所提高。为了了解在此次干预期间及之后影响青少年的关键过程，本研究采用了多渠道定性数据方法。
定性数据收集方法包括在创意营活动期间记录的参与观察笔记，以及在干预结束时和六个月后对青少年及其父母或监护人进行访谈。我们使用建构主义扎根理论对数据进行分析，并对两组数据的结果进行三角验证，以获得全面且可靠的解释。
我们在青少年营地期间及之后的经历中发现了几个关键过程：在新奇感与不适感之间进行内心协商、探索趣味性与责任感、发现自我与他人的独特性、对生活采取灵活态度以及对创造力有更广泛的认识。从家长访谈中，我们发现他们的孩子通过深度参与、增强视角和持续热情，拓展了个人边界并提升了热情。通过对来自两个来源的数据进行三角验证，我们构建了一种理论，解释了创意营对青少年幸福感的益处：“以艺术家的视角探索世界实现个人成长”。
定性分析确定了创意营干预中的关键过程，以及可能促进个人成长的变化和长期影响。以艺术家的视角探索世界作为个人成长途径的框架，为现有的针对抑郁症青少年的艺术干预知识和实践做出了新贡献。这一见解有助于塑造未来支持青少年心理健康的健康艺术方法的设计。
