Recovery Through Creativity: The Role of Art Therapy in Pediatrics Affected by Disasters

Introduction: Disasters, defined as unforeseen events exceeding capacity of the local community to handle. Disasters are a leading cause of mental health disorders worldwide, often causing long-lasting psychological effects. Pediatric represent a highly vulnerable group, with disaster-related trauma exerting profound short and long-term effects on emotional, cognitive, social and psychological development. Art therapy, a psychotherapy approach that uses creative expression such as drama, music, drawing, Dance, coloring, and traditional cultural performances offers a promising way to help pediatric cope with these challenges. Therefore, this review aimed to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of art therapy for pediatric affected by disasters. Method: A narrative review was conducted on studies published between ۲۰۲۰-۲۰۲۵. Literature searches were performed in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using MeSH keywords: ("Art Therapy") AND ("Disasters" OR "Natural Disasters") AND ("Child" OR "Pediatrics"). Inclusion criteria comprised English-language, full-text articles evaluating art-based therapeutic interventions among pediatric exposed to disasters (natural hazards and pandemic crises). Exclusion criteria removed non-English studies, inaccessible texts, and those focused exclusively on adults or mixed samples without pediatric subgroup data. Screening proceeded in two phases (title/abstract, full-text), and reference lists were hand searched for additional sources. Extracted data captured study design, intervention modality, and reported mental health outcomes Results: The reviewed studies consistently highlight the positive impact of art therapy and creative interventions on pediatric affected by disasters. Out of nine studies, eight demonstrated significant benefits, such as reductions in PTSD and anxiety symptoms, improvements in psychological well-being, sleep quality, resilience, coping skills, and the ability to express traumatic experiences safely. One study did not directly measure clinical outcomes but emphasized the role of art in empowering pediatric to share their experiences and contribute to disaster risk reduction. However, studies suggest that art therapy doesn't have the same level of effectiveness for all psychiatric disorder. The results showed that drama therapy contributed more to reducing PTSD symptoms, while music therapy contributed more to reducing general anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms. Overall, the evidence suggests that art therapy is a feasible, culturally adaptable, and effective approach in mitigating trauma and supporting recovery in pediatric affected by disasters. Conclusion: The reviewed studies suggest that art therapy is an effective approach to reduce trauma-related symptoms in pediatric affected by disasters. Therefore, incorporating art-based interventions into post-disaster care programs is recommended to support pediatrics' psychological recovery and well-being.

کلیدواژه ها:

Art Therapy ، Disasters ، Pediatrics ، Child