Mental Health and Resilience: Arts on Prescription for Children and Young People in a school setting

Objectives- Arts on Prescription (AoP) programmes were among the first forms of social prescribing in the UK. Most of the studies of AoP programmes focus on adults and currently there is no published research on the impact of AoP on children and young people. This study investigates the impact of 10 weekly AoP workshops delivered in a school setting on the mental well-being and resilience of adolescents aged 13–16 years at risk of emotional or behavioural problems. Study design- The study design used is a longitudinal cohort study of an AoP programme implemented in 10 schools in the East of England. Methods- Changes in mental well-being and resilience of school children were assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS), and the True Resilience Scale applied pre- and post-intervention, with follow-up at 3 months. In total, 91 young people participated in the programme and 65 completed pre- and post-intervention measures. Results- Data from the WEMWBS and True Resilience Scale indicated that the AoP Programme had a positive impact on both well-being and resilience of participants with a statistically significant increase recorded immediately post-intervention. However, these improvements were not sustained upon observation at 3-month follow-up. Conclusion- This article presents the first indication of the effectiveness of a programme of AoP workshops on the mental well-being and resilience of children and young people. It suggests the potential of AoP as a means of support the mental health and well-being of secondary school aged children.