Research Studies & Academic Articles
Creative Therapies & Arts
Music therapists help patients find comfort and relief from pain
Music therapy can be an effective option for managing pain without medication. Pain management is a vital part of what medical music therapists do, but it is only one aspect.
Music therapy, gender, and mental health in conflict-ridden settings
This study was to assess the impact of music therapy with songwriting on the mental health of vulnerable women and men in a conflict-ridden setting.
Chronic pain and its relationship with anxiety and depression
The potential bidirectional nature of the relationship between chronic pain and depression/anxiety is discussed on a conceptual level.
Pain through the perspective of art and creativity
Unmasking Pain is an artist-led project that explored creative approaches to telling stories of life with pain. The project was led by a dance theatre company that specialises in storytelling and emotional experiences for players and audiences.
Writing to Keep on Living
A systematic review and meta-analysis on creative writing therapy for the management of depression and suicidal ideation.
Watching a movie or listening to music is effective in managing perioperative anxiety and pain
In conscious patients undergoing surgery, watching a movie (using video glasses and a headphone set) and listening to music (using only a headphone set) can reduce anxiety significantly.
Effect of dance therapy on psychological outcomes
A systematic review of the impact of dance therapy on adults with psychological trauma.
Photovoice study
Photography as a tool for teens with chronic pain.
Songs of Love and Chronic Pain
Benefits of music for pain management.
Effectiveness of art therapy with pediatric populations affected by medical health conditions: a systematic review
Review of art therapy for multiple conditions.
Music as therapy
Explores music as a low-cost intervention with direct physiologic effects through the autonomic nervous system and indirect effects by modifying caregiver behavior. Research supports that music effectively reduces anxiety and improves mood.
Comparing Three Music Therapy Interventions for Anxiety and Relaxation in Youth With Amplified Pain
Study to examine the effects of 3 specific music therapy interventions (active music engagement, live patient-selected music, and music-assisted relaxation) on anxiety and relaxation levels in youth in an interdisciplinary program dealing with chronic pain.
Connecting parents of children with chronic pain through art therapy
Art therapy as a benefit for parents.
Vocal Music Therapy for Chronic Pain
Vocal music as a tool for better pain self-management, enhanced psychological well-being, and stronger social and spiritual connections.
Creative Art: Connection to Health and Well-Being
This paper explores the association between creativity and health.
Transdiagnostic Treatment for teens with chronic pain and overlapping depression and anxiety
Study of unified treatment approaches, based on emotion regulation skills, applicable to a broad range of emotional disorders, and the possibility of extending these interventions to chronic pain and pain-related dysfunction.
Creating Mandalas for the Management of Acute Pain Symptoms in Pediatric Patients
Positive results implementing a fast-acting mandala intervention to reduce physical pain and psychological anxiety in children.
Art Therapy and the Visual Voice
Published thesis focusing on the visual voice with pediatric palliative care.
Creative therapy, stretching, and meditation for emotional and somatic relief in adolescence
Single case study combining art and mindfulness activities for symptom relief.
General studies, pediatric & adolescent chronic pain
Adverse childhood experiences and multisite pain among adolescents in the United States
The objective of this study was to investigate the association between cumulative ACEs and self-report of multisite pain in early adolescence using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study.
Gardening for health: a regular dose of gardening
There is increasing evidence that exposure to plants and green space, particularly gardening, is beneficial to mental and physical health and could reduce the pressure on NHS services.
Community gardening to improve health behaviors and reduce stress and anxiety
A process evaluation that assesses the implementation of a community gardening intervention over nine months, as measured by reach, fidelity (delivery, receipt, enactment), and acceptability.
Understanding the impact of trauma
Trauma-informed care (TIC) involves a broad understanding of traumatic stress reactions and common responses to trauma.
Chronic pain in children: structural and resting-state functional brain imaging within a developmental perspective
The potential impact of chronic pain on brain development.
Parental Bonding in Adolescents With and Without Chronic Pain
The importance of considering parental bonding and adolescent depression in pediatric chronic pain.
Sleep Quality, Affect, Pain, and Disability in Children With Chronic Pain: Is Affect a Mediator or Moderator?
The relationship between poor sleep quality and chronic pain.
Mother-child concordance for pain location in a pediatric chronic pain sample
The study found that parents assessments of children’s pain do not necessarily mimic their children’s reports.
Treatment of chronic pain in children and adolescents
Highlights include: Combinations of medication along with nonpharmacologic treatments, such as physical therapy, psychological interventions, and complementary therapies, are often the most effective ways of treating chronic pain rather than medication alone.
The Price of Pain: The Economics of Chronic Adolescent Pain
Explores the economic burden of chronic adolescent pain on society.