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Background: Creative arts therapies (CATs) for trauma treatment is a research area where evidence-based quantitative research is missing.

Objective: We conducted two studies to strengthen CATs empirical database for trauma treatment.

Methods: Both studies employed a wait-list control design, with four measurement points: baseline (t1), pretest (t2), posttest (t3), 6-week follow-up (t4). Study 1 included N=24 traumatized refugee women from six countries, who had eight session of dance movement therapy (DMT; 1,5 hours each) by two trained therapists with the RHS-15 as the primary outcome (plus DASS21, PCL-S). Study 2 included N=38 survivors of the flood catastrophe in the German Ahrtal 2021, who still suffered from symptoms of trauma, receiving 10 sessions of art-, music- or dance therapy by qualified CATs therapists with PCL-5 and RES-13 as primary outcomes (plus DASS21, HSI-24, CAT-AF etc.).

Findings: Results of Study 1 suggest that symptoms of trauma, stress, depression, and anxiety dropped after the intervention (p<.05; medium ES). Study 2 suggests a decrease in PTSD symptoms and stress-levels, and an increase of wellbeing, resilience, self-esteem, and physical QOL (p<.05; medium ES).

Conclusions: Both populations experienced a reduction of trauma symptoms after the interventions. For the refugee women stress, depression, and anxiety also decreased; for the flood survivors, resilience, wellbeing and self-esteem additionally increased. CATs can be promising, low-threshold, and cost-effective therapy approaches that may improve mental health by decreasing trauma symptoms and increasing protective factors after trauma. Stricter controlled studies with follow-up data are needed and should additionally focus on mechanisms of change.