Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy and Generation Z
Condition: Anxiety Depression
MeSH terms: Depression
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      A randomized controlled trial will be conducted to determine the unique role of the arts as a
      proactive mental health strategy for college students in Generation Z. Arts-only,
      mindfulness-only, and arts-based mindfulness interventions as they compare to a
      non-intervention control group. These interventions will be delivered using a minimal
      contact, web-based approach. Psychological and physiological outcomes will be measured to
      determine if arts-related interventions activate unique and distinguishable mechanisms of
      change compared to the mindfulness only intervention and non-intervention control groups. In
      addition, protective effects will be assessed based on student participants' response to an
      acute academic stress simulation. Qualitative data in the form of transcribed exit interviews
      will be analyzed to characterize the unique needs of Generation Z students, along with level
      of engagement, intervention acceptance and satisfaction.
    

Detailed description: 
      To reach the general population of college students, a technology-assisted approach is
      paramount. This multidisciplinary project will tease apart the mechanisms of change and
      implications of employing art therapy approaches for anxiety and stress reduction in college
      students at much more nuanced level than previously tested using the MBAT approach designed
      and comparing it to its main components as isolated interventions.

      Based on the previous two studies and the accumulated research explored, the following study
      aims and hypotheses will guide the proposed study.

      These are:

      Aim 1. To examine the psychological and physiological differences between an
      Mindfulness-based Art Therapy (MBAT) intervention, its components as isolated Art-Only (AO)
      and Mindfulness-Only (MO) interventions, and a non-intervention control (C) using a minimal
      contact, web-based approach with students in Generation Z. Hypothesis 1: MBAT, AO, and MO
      will produce distinguishable differences in participant outcomes related to anxiety and
      stress symptomology, protective factors against chronic stress, and the biological stress
      response compared to a non-intervention control. Aim 2. To evaluate how these interventions
      affect participants' responses to an acute academic stress simulation using the TSST
      paradigm. Hypothesis 2: Results of self-report assessments and saliva samples collected
      during the acute academic stress simulation will produce distinguishable differences between
      group conditions, suggesting that the art-based interventions engage unique mechanisms of
      change compared to the Mindfulness-Only intervention. Aim 3. To determine which intervention
      produces the greatest participant satisfaction and acceptance. Hypothesis 3: Participants of
      the MBAT and AO interventions will report higher levels of study engagement, overall study
      satisfaction, and intervention acceptance compared to participants of the MO intervention and
      non-intervention control group conditions.

      B. Research Design The study will investigate the fundamental science underlying MBAT, a
      specific evidence-based form of therapy that includes mindfulness practices like meditation
      and yoga, and art therapy. The application of MBAT as a proactive mental health strategy in a
      pragmatic real-world setting is urgently needed, particularly given the stigma that surrounds
      mental health. The multidisciplinary team includes detailed expertise in art therapy,
      clinical psychology, mindfulness, and biological mechanisms. The study will involving using
      simple but validated psychological and biological measures to evaluate relatively brief,
      technology-assisted art-based mindfulness.

      The study will involve conducting a randomized control research design to meet the specific
      aims proposed. College students will be randomized into one of four group conditions: 1)
      MBAT; 2) AO; 3) MO; or 4) C. Interventions will be administered using Canvas, the
      pre-existing learning management system of Florida State University. Students will be able to
      join the study on Canvas, complete the self-report measures, and receive nearly all of the
      intervention material virtually, eliminating several of the issues with current mental health
      programs.

      There are no studies that specifically examine the effects of mindfulness based art therapy
      on inflammation or stress mediators besides our preliminary findings (Beerse et al., 2019).
      Biological research in art therapy to date has been limited to cortisol analysis alone, with
      a focus on the impact of different art materials on physiological stress. The proposed study
      will identify several interrelated biological systems influenced by the intervention and
      position us to isolate key mechanistic processes. Importantly, the study will involve using
      non-invasive biological sampling of saliva and will use the TSST to mimic acute academic
      stress; neither approach has been applied to MBAT. Additionally, minimal research has been
      conducted on the application of MBAT with young adults except studies related to serious
      health diagnoses such as cancer, palliative care, or heart disease. Therefore, this project
      addresses this gap in research using a research strategy that studies a general population,
      ensures easy reproducibility, and promotes the advancement of related innovative practices in
      arts research. The proposed approach thus has the potential to innovate the delivery of a
      cost-effective and efficacious alternative therapy that could reduce the societal burden of
      mental health symptoms and build resiliency among young adults.
    

Intervention name(s): Mindfulness-based art therapy; Art-only; Mindfulness-only
Intervention type(s): Other; Other; Other
Intervention description(s): The researchers developed a novel MBAT intervention consisting of 10 easily reproducible, clay-based MBAT directives, administered through an online platform delivery strategy. By developing an MBAT intervention that uses an online delivery strategy, the researchers realized it may have the potential of decreasing demands placed on counseling centers.; The AO modules consist of an open-ended art-making exercise, with minimal direction. The AO intervention is designed as an 'art for art's sake' intervention with the focus on the art-making and less on outcome or product. Participants are asked to pull their ball of clay out and spend ten minutes creating a form from the clay to visually express their experience in the present moment.; The MO modules consist of only the mindfulness practices from the ABM intervention. The participants to follow along with a five-minute light yoga sequence, where asanas (yoga postures) are cued with breath. Yoga, for the purposes of the study, is explicitly defined to participants as the unity of breath with body movement. Poses were chosen based on their accessibility to a variety of body types and abilities, and chosen because they are documented to aid in grounding, increased haptic awareness, lowered levels of stress and anxiety, and restoration.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Factorial Assignment
Intervention model description: 3 intervention groups- Mindfulness only, Art Therapy only and combined Mindfulness based Art Therapy. 1 control group.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Stress