Flow, Creativity, and Suicide Risk in College Art Majors

Abstract

This study examined the presence of suicide risk in college student art majors (n = 144) to determine if flow consciousness fostered hope, purpose in life, or resilience, when engaged in through creative expression. Participants (N = 474) completed a battery of assessments measuring depression, suicide risk, creative achievement, flow consciousness, hope, purpose in life, and resilience through an online survey. Suicide risk of art majors was compared to that of non-art majors. Engagement in a creative activity that typically produced flow was predicted to decrease suicide risk as mediated by hope, purpose in life, or resilience variables. Results from the study indicated that art majors were not at a greater risk for suicide than non-art majors. The relationship between flow and suicide risk was significantly mediated by purpose in life. Purpose in life explained 55% of the variance in suicide risk in art majors. Findings suggest that creative activities that induce flow consciousness may be protective factors to suicide risk as a function of purpose in life.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.