Some research indicates that siblings of children with disabilities are at increased risk for emotional and behavioral difficulties, due in part to increased stress in their lives. Increased stress can lower resistance to physical and psychological illnesses. This study examined the impact of a nature-based art therapy program on non-disabled siblings' resistance to disease, stress levels, and self-esteem. Nature-based art therapy, as used in this study, represents a fusion of nature therapy and group art therapy.
Two groups of siblings participated in the study. One group (the experimental group) (N=18) participated in eight weekly sessions of art therapy in a forest setting. The other group (the control group) (N= 11) did not. The 29 participants were randomly assigned to one of the groups. Both groups completed pre- and post-assessments measuring brain waves, stress levels, and self-esteem. An electroencephalogram (EEG) was used to measure brain waves. This measure yields (1) an attention quotient (ATQ), which is related to immunity against disease or stress and (2) an anti-stress quotient (ASQ), which is a measure of resistance to stress. Stress levels were measured by a stress scale consisting of five sub-elements: parents, family environment, friends, academics, and school. Self-esteem was measured by a scale with four sub-domains (overall self-esteem, social self-esteem, self-esteem at home, and self-esteem at school).
EEG results showed that the nature-based art therapy program affected more positive changes in brain waves in the experimental group compared to the control group. Stress scale results for the experimental group showed a significant positive change in all sub-categories. Results of the self-esteem scale showed statistically significant positive results in overall self-esteem and social self-esteem for the experimental group. There were no significant results in any of the scales for the control group.
The overall results of this study show that nature-based group art therapy has a positive effect on siblings of children with disabilities by increasing their resistance to disease, alleviating stress, and increasing self-esteem. Based on these results, the researchers concluded that “creative activities in the forest can increase resistance to diseases through mechanisms that relieve stress and increase self-esteem."
Research Partner