Art therapy is useful for immigrant youth to reduce depression, anxiety and stress through visualised images.This study determined indications of psychological outcomes, acceptability and satisfact...

This study aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness-based mandala coloring made within nature on individuals with chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain (CWP). Thirty-six participants were randomly allocated. In the experimental group, identical interventions and procedures were administered for each experiment. The control group members were untreated and remained in an urban environment. Overall, the experiment showed significant improvements in tender points (f = 8.791, p = 0.006), total stress level (f = 14.570, p = 0.001), depressive symptoms (f = 15.205, p = 0.001), anger symptoms (f = 7.263, p = 0.011) and salivary cortisol (f = 10.619, p = 0.003) in the experimental group. The results reflect that MBMC within nature is effective in reducing pain, psychological stress responses, and cortisol levels in individuals with CWP. The positive results could be a product of the experimental design rather than the treatment itself. A rigorous experimental design provides better understanding of MBMC within nature.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, there has been an urgent need to provide mental healthcare and share various practices for Ukrainian war refugees. This study urgently focuses on the need for art therapy to support the mental health of Ukrainian refugees, Koryo-saram, who are staying in the Republic of Korea due to the wartime emergency. It also examines the impact of art therapy intervention on anxiety and subjective stress. The single-session art therapy with the 54 Koryo-saram refugees aged 13-68 showed the effectiveness of the art therapy intervention. The results indicate that GAD-7 (t = 3.092, p = 0.003) and SUDs (t = 3.335, p = 0.002) were statistically significant within the intervention group. In addition, satisfaction assessments of the qualitatively analyzed participants showed that Ukrainian Koryo-saram had a positive experience of art therapy. Therefore single-session art therapy in this study demonstrated the efficacy of art therapy for the anxiety and subjective distress of Ukrainian Koryo-saram refugees. This result suggests that the intervention of art therapy as immediate mental healthcare for refugees facing war could benefit the mental health of Koryo-saram refugees.

Since February 2022, the Ukrainian refugee crisis has been highlighting mental health problems associated with trauma and distress. This study aimed to evaluate the mental health status of twenty-seven refugee minors (10 to 18 years old) who fled Ukraine and temporarily settled in the Republic of Korea (ROK). This cross-sectional survey study aimed to evaluate the mental health status of ethnic Korean Ukrainian refugee minors. The Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen—Youth Report (CATS), generalized anxiety disorder seven-item scale (GAD-7), and subjective unit of distress scale (SUDs) were used for assessment. A preliminary analysis indicated that 77% Ukrainian refugee minors were exposed to and experienced war-related trauma. They are at a relatively low risk of trauma symptoms, anxiety, and distress due to stable family and visa status and a comparably better environment in the ROK. Meanwhile, refugee teenagers showed higher rates of psychological distress compared with refugee children. This finding suggests that an early psychological interventions in a host country may be beneficial to prevent mental health issues in refugee minors.