SynthesisAustralian occupational therapy journal2025
The effects of crafts-based interventions on mental health and well-being: A systematic review.
Synthesis in Australian occupational therapy journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The effects of crafts-based interventions on mental health and well-being: A systematic review.Australian occupational therapy journal · 2025Pooled it
- Art therapy in addiction recovery the face of addiction through artworks based on clinical case studies.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2026Article
- Molding the Pain into Porcelain: The Silent Resilience of Arthritic Hands in Hong Kong's Ceramic Studios.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Human dignity education and artmaking: addressing student and teacher wellness together.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- The 'hand-brain-emotion' axis: a theoretical model for handicraft art-based intervention in anxiety disorders through neuroplasticity and autonomic regulation.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionA recent upsurge of interest in the health benefits of crafts for mental health and well-being has not been supported by systematic reviews of the effectiveness of crafts-based interventions, prior to this review.
methodsFive databases were searched: Scopus, CINAHL (EBSCO), APA PsycInfo (EBSCO), Eric (EBSCO), and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. No date limitations were applied. The search was carried out in January 2024 and supplemented by citation searches in June 2024.
resultsThe initial search yielded 14,115 papers; the citation search produced 226 additional references. Nineteen studies in total met the inclusion criteria. Across the 19 studies, there is a wide variety of research designs and a range of crafts used as media for therapy. Interventions were delivered or supervised by either art therapists, nurses, or occupational therapists. Only nine studies report the theoretical basis for the intervention. Treatment duration varies from 10 min to 16 weeks. Quality assessment revealed the quality of the studies varies considerably, with some studies of high-quality and many suffering from methodological weaknesses. Common issues relating to risk of bias include failure to blind assessors; incomplete data and lack of clarity about how the intervention was administered. All the studies report short-term improvements in the outcomes measured, which include anxiety, stress, depression, interest in life, self-efficacy, social skills, sociability, mood, well-being, self-esteem, life satisfaction, health-related quality of life, and hopelessness. Due to the wide variation in interventions, research designs, outcomes, outcome measures, and research quality, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions about the effectiveness of crafts-based interventions.
conclusionThere is some evidence that crafts-based interventions may benefit mental health and well-being, but more high-quality research is needed, including on the mechanisms through which crafts-based interventions operate. CONSUMER AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: No consumer or community involvement. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Reports from the media suggest that doing crafts may improve mental health. Crafts are, for example, knitting, sewing, and pottery. Therapists have used crafts for years to treat mental illnesses. However, there is no strong proof that these treatments are effective for clients or worth the cost. This paper reviews the effects of craft-based treatments. The review found 19 studies that looked at whether people felt better after doing crafts. The participants included men and women with various physical, mental, and social problems. These issues included mental disorders, osteoarthritis, epilepsy, and dementia. Pottery, embroidery, knitting, papercraft, and woodwork were used. Some people did crafts for 10 min, while others had several sessions over weeks. All 19 studies showed that mood and life satisfaction improved after the treatment. But, only one study checked if these improvements lasted in the weeks after. It is encouraging to see that people feel better after doing crafts. But, these 19 studies together do not prove that the benefits last long-term. More research is needed to get clearer answers.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.