Artistic-leisure activities and perceived stress

Author
Abstract
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.
Keywords
Journal
Ansiedad y Estrés
Year of Publication
2016
Volume
22
Issue
2-3
Number of Pages
68-73
Date Published
jul
Publisher
ISSN Number
1134-7937
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Summary
URL
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1134793716300331
DOI
10.1016/J.ANYES.2016.10.002