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Therapeutic psychological and biological responses to mindfulness-based art therapy.

Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
October 1, 2020
Megan E Beerse et al. (3 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy (MBAT) could reduce anxiety, perceived stress, and salivary cortisol levels in college students compared to a neutral clay task.

Results Summary

The MBAT group showed significant reductions in anxiety and perceived stress compared to the control group, along with significant reductions in salivary cortisol, though time was a confounding variable. The study suggests MBAT is effective and that online interventions could be feasible for college campuses.

Population

Full-time students at a public university

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

5 weeks

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (4)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy (MBAT)
decrease
anxiety
full-time students at a public university
-
experienced significant reductions
#1
Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy (MBAT)
decrease
perceived stress
full-time students at a public university
-
experienced significant reductions
#2
Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy (MBAT)
decrease
salivary cortisol
full-time students at a public university
-
significant reductions were observed
#3
Art making alone
no change
-
-
-
is not enough to induce significant positive responses
#4
Abstract

Stress and anxiety pose a threat to college students' academic performance as well as their long-term mental and physical health, but the time constraints of a rigorous academic schedule make it difficult to offer even brief mental health interventions. A convenience sample of full-time students at a public university was recruited for a 5-week study conducted mostly using an online platform. Participants were randomly assigned to a Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy (MBAT) intervention or a Neutral Clay Task (NCT). Anxiety, perceived stress, and salivary cortisol outcomes were measured. A total of n = 77 participants completed the study. The MBAT group experienced significant reductions in anxiety and perceived stress compared to the NCT group. Significant reductions in salivary cortisol were observed, but only time could be identified as a confounding variable. Art making alone is not enough to induce significant positive responses, but this study suggests MBAT can, and that an online intervention could offer feasible and accessible mental health services on college campuses. Further refinement of biological data collection and analysis is needed to determine what the mediating effects MBAT could have, if any, at the molecular level.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AnxietyArt TherapyHumansHydrocortisoneMindfulnessSalivaStress, PsychologicalStudentsTreatment Outcome
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations17
Citations/Year3.4
Relative Citation Ratio1.75
NIH Percentile70.3%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score2.31
Normalized Score0.69