Wednesday 09 March 2011

A new study to assess the benefits of arts participation for people with mental health problems has been jointly funded by the South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT) and our Postgraduate Medical Institute. The research will be led by Jenny Secker, Professor of Mental Health at SEPT and at Anglia Ruskin, and focuses on Open Arts, a project delivering introductory arts courses to people with mental health problems in South Essex.

It differs from previous research in this field in using data from a group of people who are on a waiting list for an Open Arts course, and will compare results for that group with those for course participants. This controlled design is now possible due to the success of Open Arts since the project was established in 2008, as the project now has a waiting list in several areas of South Essex. While evaluation over the previous two years has demonstrated significant improvements in mental wellbeing and social inclusion for Open Arts participants, the new study will enable the researchers to determine whether improvements are due to participation in the project or to other factors that may impact on wellbeing and social inclusion. The study will start in early spring this year and will run for 12 months.

Professor Secker said, 'I personally have been convinced by the many testimonials I have seen from participants in Open Arts and other arts and mental health projects, that the creative activities offered by these projects are of real benefit to participants. But as a researcher, I know that stronger proof from controlled studies of this sort is needed to justify public expenditure in straightened economic times. I hope this study will contribute to providing the level of proof needed.'

For more information about our involvement in this project, please contact jenny.secker@anglia.ac.uk.