The Role of Parental Involvement in the Development of Prosocial Behavior in Young Children: An Evolutionary Model Among Colombian Families.

Adolescent depression is a serious and growing public health problem. While evidence-based treatments such as antidepressant medications and cognitive-behavioral therapy are helpful for some adolescents, many either do not respond [], relapse [], or demonstrate poor compliance to treatment []. Standard treatments focus on alleviating symptoms rather than promoting strengths, such as flexibility and resilience in facing life’s challenges []. Adolescents with depression often develop increasingly inflexible, narrow, negative, and “stuck” ways of feeling and views of themselves and the world []. Novel strategies are needed to break through these patterns, to inspire adolescents and facilitate more growth-oriented modes of thinking and feeling. A growing body of literature supports the idea that engaging in the arts—which includes both the creation of art by the individual and participating / interacting with art created by another person—can have positive effects on health and well-being [, ]. Prior work has suggested that infusing arts activities into standard mental health care [, ] and education settings [] provide an opportunity for youth to see new aspects of themselves, build a sense of interpersonal connection, and promote resilience. In particular, youth have advocated for more arts-based approaches in mental health treatment to promote healing and growth []. To better understand the impact of engaging in creative activities on mental health and well-being for adolescents with depression, we designed Creativity Camp, a 2-week summer day-camp program, as a potential tool to improve depression and promote well-being in youth in a non-medical setting. The curriculum was designed to break through “stuck” patterns of depression symptoms—including low mood, anhedonia, rigid thinking, negative self-views and isolation—by creating a fun and enjoyable experience that introduces adolescents to novel and varied activities and promotes deep creative engagement through self-reflection and discovery in a welcoming group setting. Requiring no prior arts experience, the curriculum aimed to facilitate authentic and meaningful expression. Since individuals vary in how they respond to different types of creative activities, and to increase the chances of engaging all adolescent participants, the multi-pronged curriculum integrated varying creative activities. Key components of curriculum activities included that they: (1) introduced a novel concept which feels new, surprising, and fresh to the participants; (2) fostered a process of self-inquiry and authentic self-expression; (3) contained opportunities for participants to be open to new ideas while also allowing discovery and practice of skills and strengths they already possessed; (4) included prompts designed to invoke curiosity and wonder, inviting participants to explore meaningful questions; (5) encouraged participants to bypass self-judgment, focusing on what feels true to them; (6) encouraged participants to be bold and fiercely go in a direction they haven’t gone before; (7) required play by providing opportunities that inspire participants to explore; (8) required participants to use their imagination; (9) included the opportunity for participants to share their creations and explain their meaning to others; and (10) ensured that at least some of the process was enjoyable and fun.