Exploring expressive arts therapy for enhancing emotional resilience in adolescents affected by bullying: a scoping review

Abstract

Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by identity formation, peer sensitivity, and social development. Adolescents who experience bullying or related forms of social adversity may therefore face challenges related to emotional well-being, self-esteem, belonging, and adaptive coping. The objective of this scoping review was to map current literature examining how expressive arts therapy interventions have been used to support resilience-related processes among adolescents affected by bullying or related social adversity. The review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework, refined by Levac et al., and was guided by PRISMA-ScR. Electronic database searches were conducted across multiple databases to identify studies involving expressive arts therapy interventions with adolescents and reporting resilience-related outcomes. Fifteen studies were included in the final review, of which three focused directly on bullying victims. The findings suggested that expressive arts therapy was most commonly associated with coping and social connectedness, followed by self-esteem, emotional regulation, self-efficacy, and optimism. However, the evidence remains limited, conceptually inconsistent, and methodologically heterogeneous. Future research should focus more directly on adolescents affected by bullying and further examine how expressive arts therapy may support resilience-related outcomes over time.