The health and wellbeing impacts of creative activity for people who have experienced homelessness: a rapid scoping review

AIMS: People experiencing homelessness experience multiple, intersecting inequalities and limited access to services. Creative health approaches have been shown to have numerous health and wellbeing benefits, but little is known about their impacts on homeless populations specifically. This rapid scoping review aims to describe the international evidence on the impacts of creative activity on people experiencing homelessness. METHODS: Systematic searches were conducted on 5 databases, identifying 33 eligible studies. Four quantitative, 4 mixed methods and 25 qualitative studies were included. RESULTS: Studies were predominantly conducted in North America and adopted a range of activities including arts, music, gardening and exercise. While quantitative data was limited and focused mostly on physical health, multiple positive impacts were evidenced qualitatively. Studies evidenced increased energy and fitness, and psychological wellbeing increased through stress reduction and improved mood. Emotional wellbeing benefits were multifarious, with improved self-esteem and confidence, autonomy, resilience, motivation and hope for the future highlighted. Social wellbeing was also improved, with engagement in creative activities engendering community connectedness, belonging and social inclusion. Reconceptualising positive self-identities was a prominent theme across studies, with creative activity facilitating embodiment of positive identities as creators and group members. Development of positive self-image was seen as crucial to improvements in health and wellbeing. CONCLUSIONS: Creative health approaches have excellent potential as holistic health and wellbeing interventions with people experiencing homelessness, with evidence for multiple health and wellbeing benefits across physical, psychological, emotional and social domains. More research is required to understand how different creative activities benefit diverse populations over time.