Effectiveness of Arts based Therapy in Improving Emotional Expression and Self Image of Children Affected by Covid-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the face of the world posing a lot of challenges on human species. With its life-threatening and contagious nature people were confined to the four walls of their home. The lockdown imposed by various countries brought life to a standstill. Following safety guidelines and the uncertainty, with a new variant of the virus were some of the sudden changes that affected the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Adapting to the new normal were not only adults but also children who had to stay at home, no social interaction with their peermates, online classes and work from home parents. The 5 male participants of this action research project are children aged 8-13YRS affected by the social circumstances of COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is thus to understand the effectiveness of Arts Based Therapy in improving emotional expression and self-image of children affected by COVID-19 pandemic. The study used a pre-post design wherein the Arts Based Therapy interventions were carried on an individual basis for the pilot and the action phase. Artist skills were used along with WCCLF rating scale, observers checklist and ABT assessment tools such as Body Map and Six piece story making. Psychological test such as Multifactor emotional intelligence (MEIS)-Indian Version by Dr. Vinod Kumar Shanwal to measure Emotional Intelligence and Battle’s Self -Esteem Inventory for Children by Anand Kumar was used to measure Self Esteem of the participants. A Mental health scale by Dr. Kamlesh Sharma was also administered to the parents of the participants. It was observed that the participant were receptive to the Arts Based Therapy (ABT) interventions. Overall, findings show a significant improvement in the emotional expression and self-image of the participants.