Art and Mental Health questionnaires

Background: Psychological conditions, including depression, are common among the aged in Africa and Ghana, where the traditional care systems have been transformed by modernization and globalization, and there is a lack of public welfare systems. Research shows that a significant number of older Ghanaians, particularly women, suffer from mental health issues, yet few have access to treatment. The limited treatment options available are mostly biological or medical, with little to no alternative therapies like art therapy. This pilot study was designed to address this gap and explore the impact of art therapy on the mental health of older Ghanaians.
Methods: 10 women aged between 60 and 90 who receive financial, material, and emotional support from the Central Destitute Infirmary were recruited to participate in this quasi-experiment. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), Generalised Anxiety Scale (GAD7), and the Subjective Happiness Scale were administered at baseline. The participants were then taken through various three-hour weekly art therapy sessions for four weeks, and the questionnaires were re-administered in the second and fourth weeks of the intervention as well as one month after the intervention.
Results: Results indicated that there were depressive and anxiety symptoms among the population, and the art therapy interventions led to a significant reduction in these symptoms and improved subjective happiness among the participants