Stress is the most widespread disease of the modern age. Furthermore, not only adults are affected: a comparative study of the WHO found children and adolescents to be frequently tired and exhausted, to have problems falling asleep, and to present as increasingly irritated due to stressful school and life conditions. Stress-induced absenteeism costs German companies about 20 billion Euros annually. Interviewing 1200 German participants from various religious, age, and milieu backgrounds, the health insurance fund Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) found that 6 out of 10 people report to experience stress privately or at work, with 23% out of those feeling extremely stressed.
In Germany, for the last 15 years, health insurance companies have registered a drastic increase in stress-induced absenteeism at work. showed that stress and other psychological health problems have an effect on the mortality risk of otherwise healthy individuals. The inability to cope with stress is a risk factor for various epidemiologically significant illnesses: cardiovascular, muscular or skeletal diseases, depression or anxiety disorders. Consequences of stress are constant agitation, exhaustion, burnout, helplessness, fear, and eventually a weak immune system or even organ damage. 81.1% of the included studies reported a significant reduction of stress in the participants due to interventions of one of the four arts modalities.Īccording to the World Health Organization (WHO), stress is currently the world’s most pronounced health risk. We included 37 studies, 73% of which were randomized controlled trials. Studies were included employing the PICOS principle and rated according to their evidence level. In order to obtain an overview of CATs and arts interventions’ efficacy in the context of stress reduction and management, we conducted a systematic review with a search in the following data bases: Academic Search Complete, ERIC, Medline, Psyndex, PsycINFO and SocINDEX. CATs encompass art, music, dance/movement, and drama therapy as their four major modalities. Building on current integrative and embodied stress theories, Creative Arts Therapies (CATs) or arts interventions are an innovative way to prevent stress and improve stress management. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Central Federal Association of the public Health Insurance Funds in Germany ascribes particular importance to stress prevention and stress management as well as health enhancing measures.
In Germany, stress-induced work absenteeism costs about 20 billion Euros per year. Stress is one of the world’s largest health problems, leading to exhaustion, burnout, anxiety, a weak immune system, or even organ damage.
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