A qualitative inquiry comparing mindfulness-based art therapy versus neutral clay tasks as a proactive mental health solution for college students

Abstract

Objective: College students experience unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety, impacting their desire to perform well and live a balanced life. Mindfulness-based practices along with art therapy techniques have been demonstrated to improve psychological and physiological impacts of stress and anxiety among college students. Participants: 12 undergraduate college students participated in pre and post-test interviews following their engagement in either mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) or a neutral clay task (NCT) using a 5-week online format. Methods: Descriptive phenomenology and artful inquiry were used to elicit participants’ perspectives. Results: Both MBAT and NCT elicited relaxing and calming effects, but MBAT provided more proactive and direct benefits, with participants reporting that they could identify and move through stressors. While NCT participants described their experience as fun or playful. Conclusions: These findings offer notable support for implementing online and accessible mental health strategies such as MBAT and NCT into college settings.

Keywords:

• Anxiety
• art therapy
• college students
• gateway intervention
• stress

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of Florida, United States of America and received IRB approval from Florida State University.

Additional information

Funding

This work was provided through the Florida State University (CRC) Multidisciplinary Support Grant.