Arts on prescription for wellbeing in adults: systematic review

Introduction – Arts on Prescription is a social prescribing model in which health professionals refer adults to community-based artistic activities led by artists or musicians, with the goal of promoting wellbeing and mental health. This systematic review aimed to investigate whether Arts on Prescription improves wellbeing and reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety. Methods – PubMed, PsycINFO and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched in November 2024, following a previously developed search strategy. The selection of studies, quality assessment and data extraction were carried out independently by two authors. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. We included randomised control trials, quasi-experimental studies, observational studies and mixed-methods studies assessing the impact of art programmes prescribed by a health professional on adults’ wellbeing and symptoms of depression and anxiety. A narrative synthesis of the results was carried out. Results – Of the 3, 561 unique citations obtained, six studies met the inclusion criteria. Analysis of the reference lists of the included studies revealed two additional pertinent studies. Five of the studies were quasi-experimental studies and three were observational studies. The sample size ranged from 12 to 1, 297 participants, with an average age ranging from 43 to over 80 years old. In all studies, an improvement in wellbeing was reported following participation in Arts on Prescription programmes. Evidence regarding depression and anxiety was limited to one study, which reported statistically significant but clinically modest reductions in both outcomes. Discussion – Arts on Prescription programmes were consistently associated with improvements in wellbeing across a range of populations and settings. Preliminary evidence suggests potential benefits for depression and anxiety that warrant investigation in more rigorous study designs. Further studies are needed to overcome the limitations of the analysed studies, such as the lack of control groups, small and non-representative samples, and short follow-up periods. Systematic review registration – https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024572685, identifier CRD42024572685