Effects of an art-based intervention on cognitive functions, social avoidance, and distress in traumatized females: a pre- and post-experimental investigation

Introduction:
The Yazidi populations experienced trauma and underwent inhumane actions perpetrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) after the invasion of the Sinjar District. We aimed to examine the effects of six-month creative art therapy sessions on cognitive functions and social avoidance and distress in traumatized females.

Material and methods:
In this pre- and post-experimental investigation, 15 female individuals who were distressed during the invasion of ISIS in 2014 were included. The females who registered in a non-governmental organization (NGO) in the Khanke camp were invited to participate in this study. Female Yazidi Kurdish girls and women aged 16 years and older were invited to participate in a six-month creative art therapy program (painting and drawing). Cognitive functions and social avoidance of the participants were measured before the project’s start and following its completion.

Results:
The median age of the girls was 23.5, between 17 and 33 years. The study showed that most of the girls had experienced emotional abuse (60.0%), physical neglect (93.33%), and sexual abuse (53.33%), and all girls had experienced emotional neglect (100%), and a small percentage were exposed to physical abuse (13.33%). The creative art-based intervention did not significantly change the score of mental state (from 95.4 to 94.67, p = 0.9348) and social avoidance and distress score (from 11.6 to 9.8, p = 0.0747) among traumatized girls.

Conclusions:
This study showed that a creative art-based intervention was not effective in alleviating the mental state, social avoidance, and distress among traumatized girls.