The Impact of a Creativity Camp Intervention on Depression and Well-Being in Adolescents

The Impact of a Creativity Camp Intervention on Depression and Well-Being in Adolescents | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The Impact of a Creativity Camp Intervention on Depression and Well-Being in Adolescents Kathryn Cullen, Michaelle E. DiMaggio-Potter, Bonnie Klimes-Dougan, and 13 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4335028/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 Oct, 2024 Read the published version in Child Psychiatry & Human Development → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: Depression is a serious public health problem that often emerges during adolescence. Many adolescents do not respond to standard treatments, necessitating the development of novel interventions. We conducted a preliminary study to assess the impact of a creative arts intervention on depression and well-being in adolescents. Methods: Sixty-nine adolescents 12-17 years completed an eight-day “Creativity Camp” intervention encompassing multiple creative activities. Self-report questionnaires to measure depression, anxiety, and well-being were administered at five time points to allow examination of change across multiple temporal segments: the two weeks before camp, the two weeks of camp, the two weeks after camp, and the 6 months after camp. Additionally, while all adolescents in the study participated in camp, they were assigned to one of two groups to compare change observed during the pre-camp period in one group to the during-camp period in the other group. Results: According to both parent and child reports, pre-to-post-camp, mean adolescent depressive symptoms significantly decreased, and well-being significantly increased, and these changes were sustained two weeks after camp and at the 6-month follow-up. Comparison of change in the pre-camp period to the change observed pre-post camp was significant for parent-reported depression. Conclusions: Preliminary evidence suggests that the Creativity Camp intervention may positively impact adolescent depression and well-being. This evidence highlights the importance of investigating and implementing treatment approaches focusing on creative arts for adolescents with depression. Depression Creativity Adolescence Treatment Interventions Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 Oct, 2024 Read the published version in Child Psychiatry & Human Development → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 20 Jun, 2024 Reviews received at journal 19 Jun, 2024 Reviews received at journal 19 Jun, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 May, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 May, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 21 May, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 04 May, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 30 Apr, 2024 First submitted to journal 27 Apr, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4335028","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":298762132,"identity":"a50c3643-65c8-4915-a7ba-ba25c435e866","order_by":0,"name":"Kathryn Cullen","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAxUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLCCBAMbOX4Ik5lILR8q0owlG0jRwjjjzOFEgwPEajFvb7/4mbeNOcH4RnbaA4YK68QGQlpkzpwpluZtY8szu5G73YDhTDphLRISOQlALTzFQC3bJBjbDhOhRf5N8m/eNonEzTNAWv4Ro0WC/ZjkjDMGiRskQFoaiNHCk8Nm8aEiwVjizNttEgnH0o0Ja2E//vhGgsF/Of52oC0faqxlCWphYOAxQLATCCsHAfYHxKkbBaNgFIyCkQsA0sw/ON8aTL0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"University of Minnesota","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kathryn","middleName":"","lastName":"Cullen","suffix":""},{"id":298762134,"identity":"86bc5a15-32bd-4962-a064-a4bbf12305a5","order_by":1,"name":"Michaelle E. 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Many adolescents do not respond to standard treatments, necessitating the development of novel interventions. We conducted a preliminary study to assess the impact of a creative arts intervention on depression and well-being in adolescents.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMethods: Sixty-nine adolescents 12-17 years completed an eight-day “Creativity Camp” intervention encompassing multiple creative activities. Self-report questionnaires to measure depression, anxiety, and well-being were administered at five time points to allow examination of change across multiple temporal segments: the two weeks before camp, the two weeks of camp, the two weeks after camp, and the 6 months after camp. 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This evidence highlights the importance of investigating and implementing treatment approaches focusing on creative arts for adolescents with depression.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"The Impact of a Creativity Camp Intervention on Depression and Well-Being in Adolescents","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-05-07 13:36:53","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4335028/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2024-06-20T15:16:38+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-06-19T21:05:57+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-06-19T07:39:36+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"144301814883569252483994435592480969897","date":"2024-05-24T17:27:07+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"146405876904730095761090195830945907786","date":"2024-05-23T16:53:22+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-05-21T13:50:33+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-05-04T21:17:56+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-04-30T13:49:09+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Child Psychiatry \u0026 Human Development","date":"2024-04-27T17:16:30+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"child-psychiatry-and-human-development","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"chud","sideBox":"Learn more about [Child Psychiatry \u0026 Human Development](http://link.springer.com/journal/10578)","snPcode":"10578","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10578/3","title":"Child Psychiatry \u0026 Human Development","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"ac8d56c4-912d-4f5c-862f-a44b9a573a1a","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 7th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-10-21T15:58:36+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-4335028","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-024-01766-3","journal":{"identity":"child-psychiatry-and-human-development","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Child Psychiatry \u0026 Human Development"},"publishedOn":"2024-10-16 15:56:52","publishedOnDateReadable":"October 16th, 2024"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-05-07 13:36:53","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s10578-024-01766-3","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-024-01766-3","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4335028","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4335028","identity":"rs-4335028","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}