Effects of arts therapies on mental health of older adults: a systematic review of non-ethnic minorities.

BACKGROUND: Mental health is a concern among non-ethnic minorities. Evidence shows that these groups are more likely to experience mental health problems. Art therapy appears to be a promising intervention. However, some of these interventions were delivered face-to-face on a weekly basis, which may not be acceptable to most older adults from ethnic minorities due to cultural and religious factors, physical limitations, or time constraints. This study aimed to investigate the effects of art therapies in ethnic and non-ethnic groups. METHODS: Six electronic databases were searched. Studies were considered eligible if: 1) Participants were older adults from both ethnic and non-ethnic minorities. 2) Aged ≥ 50 years. 3) Received an art therapy intervention compared with standard or usual care, with outcomes including depression, anxiety, and cognition. Six electronic databases were searched. Randomized and quasi-experimental trial designs were included. Effect sizes were interpreted as < 0.1, 0.1-0.3, 0.3-0.5, and > 0.5 as trivial, small, moderate, and large effects, respectively. RESULTS: Forty studies published between 2006 and 2025 were eligible. Participants' ages ranged from 50 to 99 years. The total number of participants was 3,351, of whom 2,294 (68.8%) were female. Most eligible studies were on non-ethnic minorities (n = 34, 85%) and were randomized controlled trials (n = 23, 58.5%). The effect sizes for depression ranged from trivial (d = 0-0.08) to large (d = -0.7 to 2.4). Similarly, the effects on anxiety ranged from small (d = 0.1 to -0.3) to large (d = -0.6 to 2.1). Incidentally, we found that art therapy may also improve cognitive abilities. CONCLUSION: Art therapies may be effective for depression, anxiety, and cognition in non-ethnic minorities, and the magnitude of the effect may not be associated with the dose of the interventions.