RAND conducted a search of databases that reflected a wide array of disciplines and fields of study, focusing on studies published between 2014 and 2023. They used a multidisciplinary and multifield search strategy to understand the disciplinary and field variations in “youth,” “arts,” and “wellbeing.” They conducted keyword and Boolean searches using such search terms as “youth,” “art,” “art engagement,” “wellbeing,” and “health”.  After a title and abstract review, augmented by recommendations from interviewees, they identified 177 publications from the academic and grey literature. Two research team members abstracted key information from each source focused on definitions of youth and well-being and on mechanisms explaining how art affects well-being, critical areas for funding, and impact studies. Using this initial dataset, they developed a list of central themes and gaps.

To augment their literature review and ensure practitioners’ lived experiences informed the study, RAND conducted 20 hour-long interviews with experts and leaders in the field to supplement the multi-disciplinary literature search. Interviewees were practitioners in education, public health, psychology and neuroscience, social work, philanthropy, as well as individuals with lived experiences as artists, including playwrights, musicians, actors, dancers, and visual artists. The research team also spoke with people that identified as representatives from a marginalized or underserved community. This portion of the research adopted an equity-centered approach called the Equity-Centered Participatory Compensation Model, a novel methodology model that allowed the team to elicit different levels of involvement from participants, especially those who are typically under-represented in the research space. 

More information about the team’s research approach can be found in this technical appendix.