109 THE ROLE OF COLLEGE ART AND PAINTING TEACHING IN REGULATING COGNITION AND EMOTIONS OF PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA
Authors: Tang Zhigang 
Published: February 2025

Background

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder characterized by impaired cognitive function and emotional regulation, which has a significant impact on the patient’s life and social functioning. In recent years, non pharmacological therapy, especially creative psychological interventions such as art and painting, has received attention because it can help patients express emotions, explore their inner world, and improve cognitive function. Although the positive effects of art intervention on cognition and emotion have been confirmed, there is still limited quantitative research on its specific impact on patients with schizophrenia. The aim of this study is to explore how art and painting teaching can enhance the cognitive and emotional regulation abilities of patients with schizophrenia, and to validate its effectiveness using quantitative data.

Methods

The study selected 100 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, all of whom were treated in college art and painting courses. The study used a double-blind randomized controlled trial to divided patients into two groups: the experimental group (receiving art painting teaching) and the control group (not receiving art painting teaching). Patients in the experimental group expressed their feelings and ideas by drawing during a twice-weekly, two-hour art painting course, while the control group did not receive any form of art treatment. The study lasted for 6 months, during which cognitive function and emotional regulation were assessed in both groups. The assessment tools included the Cognitive Function Assessment Scale (CFAS) and the Emotional Adjustment Scale (ERS), measured before and after treatment. In addition, blood samples from patients were collected to assess the effect of painting treatment by changes in neurotransmitter levels.

Results

The CFAS scores of the experimental group before and after treatment were 55.2 and 68.4, and the ERS scores were 37.6 and 49.2, respectively. The serum dopamine level increased by 21.3%, and the changes in CFAS and ERS scores were statistically significant (P values of 0.03 and 0.04, respectively), with a P value of 0.02 for dopamine level changes. The CFAS and ERS scores of the control group showed little change, and there was no significant change in serum dopamine levels, as shown in Table 1.

Discussion

The results of the study show that the teaching of art and painting in universities has a significant positive impact on the cognitive function and emotional regulation ability of schizophrenia patients. After 6 months of art and painting teaching, the experimental group of patients’ cognitive function and emotional regulation ability were significantly higher than that of the control group, which may be related to the emotional expression and cognitive reconstruction during painting. Moreover, the increased serum dopamine level in the experimental group also supported the positive effect of painting treatment on emotional regulation, helping patients to improve cognitive and emotional regulation. Future studies could further explore the mechanisms and best practices of teaching art painting in the treatment of schizophrenia.