Emotion regulation strategies and effects in art-making: A narrative synthesis

• Published in: The Arts in psychotherapy 2018-07, Vol.59, p.65-74
• Main Authors: Gruber, Harald, Oepen, Renate
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Art therapy; Emotion regulation; Mood enhancement; Narrative synthesis
• ISSN: 0197-4556; 1873-5878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2017.12.006

•The mood-elevating effects of art-making were stronger when art was used to distract.•Art therapy interventions are most effective when they entail a structured task leading to a specific end result or goal state.•The importance of psychological models of emotion regulation for research in art therapy. Questions concerning the regulation or dysregulation of emotions in mental distress states are not only of fundamental concern in psychotherapy research but also a key issue in the art therapy field. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated the effectiveness of artistic activities in emotion regulation. This review aims to identify and analyze studies that investigate art-making to regulate emotions. Most studies to date have examined the effects of short-term mood repair, but some did investigate emotion regulation models in a psychotherapy setting. They revealed that in positive mood enhancement resulted from art-making. A few comparative studies suggested that art-making was more effective than other therapies, with distraction strategy demonstrating special success in regulating emotion. Future research on emotion regulation in art therapy should also address psychological models and take specific active factors of art into consideration.