Relationships between arts participation, social cohesion, and wellbeing: An integrative review and conceptual model

Arts and cultural strategies have increasingly been engaged by the public health sector to enhance social cohesion, health, and wellbeing, as well as to address the significant health risks posed by social isolation and loneliness. While increasing studies document relationships between arts participation, social cohesion, and wellbeing uniquely, few studies have investigated the relationships between all three and, to date, no evidence synthesis has been conducted on this topic. To address this gap, this integrative review aimed to identify, describe, and synthesize research on arts participation, social cohesion, and wellbeing in a community context by addressing the question: what is the evidence base regarding relationships between arts participation, social cohesion, and well-being? Literature searches were conducted using 10 databases, and 18 articles met inclusion criteria - 16 original research articles and two reviews. Results provide insights on modes and forms of arts participation used, and offer four themes that articulate dimensions of and relationships between arts participation, social cohesion, and well-being, as distilled from the studies. Further, this review offers a conceptual model derived from these themes. The model depicts the relationships found between these concepts in the articles and highlights specific components of these relationships that may help to guide future practice, research, and policy that seeks to leverage the power of the arts to build social cohesion and wellbeing in communities. Prospective studies are needed to test these relationships as well as the potential role of social cohesion as a mechanism for building well-being in communities.