Longden, Eleanor, Davis, Philip, Billington, Josie ORCID: 0000-0002-0632-612X, Lampropoulou, Sofia
ORCID: 0000-0001-9072-1394, Farrington, Grace, Magee, Fiona, Walsh, Erin and Corcoran, Rhiannon
ORCID: 0000-0001-8900-9199
(2015)
Shared Reading: assessing the intrinsic value of a literature-based health intervention.
Medical Humanities, 41 (02).
pp. 113-120.
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Abstract
Public health strategies have placed increasing emphasis on psychosocial and arts-based strategies for promoting well-being. This study presents preliminary findings for a specific literary-based intervention, Shared Reading, which provides community-based spaces in which individuals can relate with both literature and one another. A 12-week crossover design was conducted with 16 participants to compare benefits associated with six sessions of Shared Reading versus a comparison social activity, Built Environment workshops. Data collected included quantitative self-report measures of psychological well-being, as well as transcript analysis of session recordings and individual video-assisted interviews. Qualitative findings indicated five intrinsic benefits associated with Shared Reading: liveness, creative inarticulacy, the emotional, the personal and the group (or collective identity construction). Quantitative data additionally showed that the intervention is associated with enhancement of a sense of ‘Purpose in Life’. Limitations of the study included the small sample size and ceiling effects created by generally high levels of psychological well-being at baseline. The therapeutic potential of reading groups is discussed, including the distinction between instrumental and intrinsic value within arts-and-health interventions.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | Humans, Chronic Disease, Cross-Over Studies, Sample Size, Emotions, Interpersonal Relations, Mental Health, Cognition, Thinking, Qualitative Research, Quality of Life, Literature, Reading, Adult, Middle Aged, Vulnerable Populations, Health Promotion, Female, Male, United Kingdom |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
Date Deposited: | 15 Jul 2016 13:32 |
Last Modified: | 19 Jan 2023 07:33 |
DOI: | 10.1136/medhum-2015-010704 |
Related URLs: | |
URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3002361 |