Impact of a mental health care model utilizing intangible cultural heritage art DESIGN on the rehabilitation of individuals with mental illness

Abstract Background Patients with mental health disorders generally face rehabilitation challenges such as social dysfunction, emotional expression deficits, and reduced self-worth, creating an urgent need for innovative, non-pharmacological nursing interventions. As an activity integrating cultural inheritance, artistic creation, and hands-on practice, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) art design is believed to support the mental rehabilitation process through multiple mechanisms—including providing safe channels for self-expression, enhancing individual concentration and a sense of accomplishment, and promoting social interaction and cultural identity. Currently, empirical evidence on the effectiveness of systematically integrating ICH art design into mental health nursing models remains scarce. Therefore, this study aims to systematically evaluate the impact of a structured nursing model based on ICH art design on the rehabilitation outcomes of patients with mental health disorders using standardized psychological and social function scales, with the goal of providing new pathways and empirical basis for interdisciplinary interventions in the field of mental health. Methods A total of 100 convalescent patients with mental health disorders meeting the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria were enrolled and randomly divided into an intervention group (n = 50) and a control group (n = 50). On the basis of routine rehabilitation treatment, the intervention group participated in a 12-week structured intangible cultural heritage (ICH) art design workshop, with two 90-minute sessions per week. The workshop included programs such as paper cutting, embroidery, and traditional dyeing and weaving, integrated with thematic creation, group collaboration, and cultural interpretation. The control group only received routine treatment. Assessments were conducted using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) at pre-intervention (T0), week 6 (T1), and week 12 (T2). Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare intra-group and inter-group differences (p.05), and Cohen’s d effect size was calculated. Results In the intervention group, the total score of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) significantly decreased from 58.3 ± 6.5 to 46.8 ± 5.9 (p.001, d = 1.85), with a marked improvement in negative symptoms (p.01); the total score of the Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS) reduced from 10.2 ± 2.4 to 6.9 ± 2.1 (p.001, d = 1.48); the score of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) increased from 24.5 ± 4.2 to 31.8 ± 4.0 (p.001, d = 1.76); and the scores of the Psychological and Social Relationships domains of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) also significantly improved (both p.01). No significant changes were observed in all indicators of the control group. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant interaction effects between time and group on all indicators (PANSS: F = 20.15; SDSS: F = 16.87; GSES: F = 22.34; all p.001). Discussion The nursing model based on intangible cultural heritage (ICH) art design effectively improves psychiatric symptoms, social function, self-efficacy, and quality of life in convalescent patients with mental health disorders. This study shows that integrating cultural and creative practices into mental health nursing provides a culturally meaningful, positive, and social interaction-promoting auxiliary rehabilitation method, offering empirical evidence for developing interdisciplinary and localized mental rehabilitation models. Future research may compare the effectiveness of different ICH programs, optimize interventions, and assess long-term benefits through extended follow-ups to support personalized and culturally sensitive mental rehabilitation. Funding No. 24WT09.