Enhancing mental health recovery by joining arts-based groups: a role for the social cure approach

ABSTRACT

Background

. Even though emerging evidence suggests that participation in arts-based group programs are helpful in supporting mental health, the field lacks an established theorical framework. This study explored the extent to which participants’ experiences of singing or creative writing groups aligned with theorising proposed by the social cure approach.

Methods

. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 choir members, and 23 creative writing group members with chronic mental health conditions at two time points. Transcripts of the interviews were examined by four coders using thematic analysis.

Results

. Consistent with social cure theorising, participation in the choir and creative writing group facilitated meeting participants’ needs for belonging, support, self-efficacy, purpose, and positive emotions.

Conclusions

. This study demonstrated the psychosocial mechanisms by which participation in arts-based groups can enhance mental health. We conclude that engagement with the social cure framework may be useful to structure practice in this field.

KEYWORDS:

• Choir
• creative writing
• mental health
• social identity
• recovery

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr Jonathan Welch, Susan Gilmartin, Melissa Gill, David Stavenger, and the members of School of Hard Knocks QLD for kindly participating in the study; and we thank Belinda Lipscombe for assisting in data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Wesley Medical Research Institute [2014-32]; and the Australian Research Council [Jolanda Jetten’s Future Fellowship].