Creative arts therapies found effective in treating PTSD in young people globally
New research co-authored by Olivia Spiegler, Associate Member of Nuffield, found that music, dance, art, drama, and poetry therapies are effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents across the globe.
Published in Nature Mental Health, the study is the first to analyse major global studies to evaluate how well creative arts therapies work for young people who have been diagnosed or have symptoms of PTSD in non-Western and underrepresented populations.
Drawing on 33 studies involving 4,587 participants from 17 countries across six continents, the research found substantial reductions in PTSD symptoms following creative arts-based interventions.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is increasingly prevalent in young people worldwide, with an estimated 25 per cent of children and adolescents globally experiencing a traumatic event before reaching adulthood. These could include physical or sexual violence, natural disasters or conflicts, and the death of a close family member. But current evidence-based treatments show variable outcomes.
Olivia Spiegler said:
“Our findings suggest that while established treatments like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) remain central to mental health care, their delivery can be limited by linguistic and cultural barriers.
Creative arts therapies can complement these treatments by providing a non-stigmatising, low-cost, and community-driven means of support, especially suited to populations affected by conflict, displacement, and trauma. They represent an important step toward a more inclusive and culturally sensitive model of global mental health. Now we need more culturally focused, high-quality studies, particularly in Western contexts with non-Western youth.”
Lead author Briana Applewhite, a doctoral researcher from the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry, supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley, said:
“Our findings show that creative arts therapies are not just complementary to traditional psychotherapies, they are essential tools for culturally diverse contexts. They allow children to process trauma in ways that feel natural and accessible within their own cultural environments.”
The study also found that:
- The largest impact for creative arts therapies was in non-Western populations. Effects were strongest among children and adolescents in West African and Middle Eastern regions, where creative expression is deeply embedded in cultural life.
- The interventions were culturally adaptable and inclusive. Interventions were effective across a range of settings—schools, community programmes, and refugee contexts—demonstrating their scalability and acceptance in environments where Western talking therapies are often limited.
- Creative arts-based interventions led by trained local facilitators were as effective as those led by licensed therapists, underscoring their potential in low-resource or humanitarian settings.
The paper 'Creative arts-based interventions reduce post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in young people worldwide: a meta-analysis with a focus on non-Western populations’ is published in Nature Mental Health.