SynthesisClinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil)2025
The effect of the art therapy interventions to alleviate depression symptoms among children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 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
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Different arts-based interventions for depression and anxiety in college students: a network meta-analysis of rigorous randomized controlled trials.BMC psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of Painting-Based Art Interventions on Mental Health Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Immersive metaverse art as a psychological intervention for depression and anxiety: a narrative review and multilevel model integrating engagement, cultural identity, and neurocognitive mechanisms.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Recent developments in bibliotherapy for adolescent depression.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundExisting systematic reviews provide evidence that art therapy is an effective intervention for reducing symptoms of depression in children and adolescents. This study aims to systematically review and quantify the impact of art-based interventions on depressive symptoms in this demographic through meta-analysis.
methodA systematic search of databases and journals identified eligible studies for inclusion in a meta-analysis examining the efficacy of art therapy interventions on depressive symptom reduction. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted using the Standardized Mean Difference (SMD).
resultsThe meta-analysis of twelve (randomized) controlled trials revealed a significant effect (SMD = -0.72; 95 % CI [-1.28, -0.16], p = 0.01), indicating that children and adolescents (n = 333) who received art therapy experienced a more significant reduction in depressive symptoms compared to those (n = 344) in the control groups. LIMITATIONS: The existing evidence is limited to studies with low statistical power and methodological quality. Furthermore, the included studies were highly heterogeneous in terms of the intervention type, measurement tools, participant samples, and study designs.
conclusionsThe findings suggest that art-based interventions can be effective in reducing depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. However, future research requires more methodologically rigorous and well-controlled studies to strengthen the evidence base.
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Registered trials
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.