Targeting Trauma-Related Disorders With Arts and Movement Therapies

The current goal of this project is to subjectively and objectively assess the efficacy of arts and movement interventions--including dance/movement therapy, art therapy and mindful yoga for youth and adults exposed to trauma, including families resettled as refugees and families in high-risk, low-resource environments. The overarching aim is to measure the changes over time in self-reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder(s), depression, and somatic symptoms, as well as changes in biological substrates representing pathophysiological processes involved in responses to stress, trauma, and the aforementioned disorders. These biological substrates include inflammatory proteins and the stress hormone cortisol. We hypothesize that given the emotional and physical components of arts and movement therapies, which are implemented in group settings and confer life-long coping skills to participants, participation in arts and movement therapies will result in reduction of self-reported severity of psyciatric symptoms and improved physiology.

COVID-19: In March, the COVID-19 pandemic caused in person research to be halted in order to be in adherence to the stay at home order for the State of Michigan. The IRB overseeing the present project approved an amendment to allow data to be collected online via phone or email, based on participant preference, with a new consent form for this new method of data collection. Following this approval, we migrated our programming to virtual formats and began to serve both refugee commuities as well as school-aged youth with the intervention program and obtained consent followed by data from participants as part of this study. We have pivoted towards also looking at the benefits of creative arts and movement based interventions in reducing COVID-related distress, as well as building resilience.

By collecting psychological and biomarker data the investigators seek concrete scientific evidence supporting these non-pharmacological, cost effective, and accessible programs as reliable treatment options.