Arts-based interventions to reduce anxiety levels among college students

Abstract

The current study examined the therapeutic utility of creative endeavors for the reduction of anxiety among undergraduate college students enrolled in a public university in the United States. Students were randomly assigned to participate in one of three conditions: an individual art project (n = 30), a group art project (n = 30), or a non-art control project (n = 30). An overall within-subjects effect of anxiety was noted in which participants reported reduced anxiety levels following intervention. A statistical interaction showed that anxiety was reduced by both individual and group arts interventions, but not by the control condition in which participants completed puzzles. The extent of anxiety reduction did not differ between the individual and group conditions. In conclusion, although presently underutilized, arts interventions may be a viable form of anxiety-reduction among college students.

Keywords:

• arts intervention
• anxiety
• college
• stress
• creativity

Notes

1. This protocol is a modification of an unpublished exercise devised by Joan Nagel, Laura Dickerson and Linda Kelsey-Jones in 1996 for use in the school systems of Central Texas, available on request from corresponding author.