Therapeutic psychological and biological responses to mindfulness-based art therapy.
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
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
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.