40 STUDY ON THE INTERVENTION EFFECT OF ARTISTIC WORKS CREATION COMBINED WITH DRUGS ON STUDENTS WITH MENTAL ANXIETY
Authors: Gao Yuan , Yang Kaiqi , Du* Dalong 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Background
Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder, often accompanied by varying degrees of anxiety symptoms, the incidence of between 30% and 60%. At present, the treatment for this anxiety symptom mainly includes medication and psychotherapy. Artistic art creation therapy, as a means of psychological treatment, is a conscious intervention by professionals using art forms and creative processes to patients. Past studies have noted that the effects of different art therapies are comparable, but the impact on emotional symptoms in patients with schizophrenia has been less studied. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of combining artistic art creation activities with paroxetine therapy on relieving anxiety symptoms in stable schizophrenic anxiety students.

Methods
From October 2022 to March 2023, 600 long-stay schizophrenic patients in a hospital were selected as study subjects. A total of 60 student patients with Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) scores ranging from 50 to 69 were selected and randomly assigned to the control group and intervention group, with 30 students in each group. The control group participated in the routine rehabilitation activities organized by the hospital, and took paroxetine regularly according to the doctor’s advice, the treatment cycle was 6 weeks. In addition to the control group, the intervention group received art therapy, that is, art creation therapy. The treatment was performed twice a week for an hour each time for a total of six weeks. During the painting process, patients are encouraged to freely express their inner feelings, including emotions such as worry, happiness or hope.

Results
Table 1 shows how the SAS scores of the two groups compare. At the beginning of treatment, the mean SAS score in the intervention group was 63.21±2.85; The average score in the control group was 63.52±2.87. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference in SAS scores between the two groups before treatment (t=0.914, P=0.187). By the third week of treatment, SAS scores in the intervention group had decreased to 54.72±2.90, compared to 59.97±3.52 in the control group. At this point in time, there was a significant difference in scores between the two groups (t=7.693, P=0.000). At the sixth week of treatment, SAS scores in the intervention group were further reduced to 39.87±4.87, and the difference was also statistically significant (t=6.403, P=0.000).

Discussion
The results of this study show that the creation of artistic works has a significant effect on improving the anxiety symptoms of schizophrenia patients in a stable period. This kind of artistic creation, as a cognitive behavioral training, can improve patients’ self-confidence and self-efficacy, reduce their negative evaluation of their own abilities, and effectively reduce anxiety levels. However, there is still a lack of standardized and standardized operation procedures for the treatment of artistic works, which may have a certain impact on the research results. Future research can further explore and improve these aspects on the basis of the existing ones.