Cases-Cunillera Jaume, Del Río Sáez Ruben, Santos-López Josep Manel, Simó-Algado Salvador
Research Group on Innovation in Mental Health and Social Wellbeing (ISAMBES), 08500 Vic, Spain.
Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, Centre for Health and Social Care Research (CESS), University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVIC-UCC), C/de la Sagrada Família 7, 08500 Vic, Spain.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 May 9;13(10):1103. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13101103.
Art-based community projects positively impact mental health recovery by fostering creativity, self-expression, and social engagement. Despite growing evidence on participatory art interventions, limited studies have used a mixed-methods approach to examine their effects. The present study examines how participation in the Artistic Couples project influences individuals' subjective perceptions of recovery, psychological well-being, and self-stigma. This exploratory multi-center study employed an embedded mixed-methods design, integrating qualitative Photovoice methodology with a quantitative pre-post survey. Participants (N = 30) from five mental health institutions across Catalonia engaged in collaborative art creation with local artists. Qualitative data from Photovoice discussions and semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, while quantitative data from standardized measures were examined using paired t-tests and correlation analysis. Qualitative findings revealed the following three key themes: (1) artmaking as an artistic couple, emphasizing the collaborative process and art as a means of self-expression; (2) social connections, highlighting increased belonging, emotional support, and reduced loneliness; and (3) understanding mental health recovery, showcasing art's role in identity reconstruction and personal growth. Quantitative results indicated a significant improvement in the "Connecting and Belonging" subscale of the RAS-DS (t = -2.51; = 0.023), particularly among women (t = -2.85; = 0.019), suggesting enhanced social integration. However, no statistically significant changes were observed in overall recovery, well-being, or self-stigma scores. This study provides evidence that participatory community art projects enhance social connections and self-expression, which are key elements of mental health recovery. The findings suggest that creative collaborations facilitate emotional processing and challenge stigma. The improvement in social belonging supports integrating arts-based interventions in recovery-oriented care. Future research should examine long-term effects and gender-sensitive approaches.
基于艺术的社区项目通过培养创造力、自我表达和社会参与，对心理健康恢复产生积极影响。尽管关于参与性艺术干预的证据越来越多，但使用混合方法来检验其效果的研究有限。本研究考察了参与“艺术伴侣”项目如何影响个体对康复的主观认知、心理健康和自我污名化。这项探索性的多中心研究采用了嵌入式混合方法设计，将定性的摄影声音方法与定量的前后调查相结合。来自加泰罗尼亚五个心理健康机构的30名参与者与当地艺术家进行了合作艺术创作。使用主题分析法分析了摄影声音讨论和半结构化访谈的定性数据，同时使用配对t检验和相关分析来检验标准化测量的定量数据。定性研究结果揭示了以下三个关键主题：（1）作为艺术伴侣进行艺术创作，强调合作过程以及艺术作为自我表达的手段；（2）社会联系，突出归属感增加、情感支持和孤独感减少；（3）理解心理健康恢复，展示艺术在身份重建和个人成长中的作用。定量结果表明，RAS-DS量表中“联系与归属感”子量表有显著改善（t = -2.51；p = 0.023），尤其是在女性中（t = -2.85；p = 0.019），表明社会融合得到增强。然而，在总体康复、幸福感或自我污名化得分方面未观察到统计学上的显著变化。本研究提供了证据，证明参与性社区艺术项目增强了社会联系和自我表达，而这是心理健康恢复的关键要素。研究结果表明，创造性合作有助于情感处理并挑战污名化。社会归属感的改善支持将基于艺术的干预措施纳入以康复为导向的护理中。未来的研究应考察长期影响和对性别敏感的方法。
