Artistic-leisure activities and perceived stress

Leisure activities, other than work or school, provide resources for health. This study proposes drawing as a coping mechanism against the perception of stress. It included 216 university students (53 men, 163 women) without a diagnosis of depression or anxiety. Participants were divided into 6 experimental groups as follows: drawing related to the stressor, drawing as a distraction or drawing as a conflict-oriented activity, each with or without text. The Perceived Stress Scale and pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) were used. Analysis of variance and paired t-test analyses showed a significant decrease in perceived stress in 4 groups (post-test): drawing as a distraction with and without text, image reproduction as a distraction without text and drawing related to the stressor with text. Gender differences were found, with pre-test stress higher in women and post-test stress lower. The importance of gender in these interventions is underlined.