ERIC Number: EJ1159022
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-0419
EISSN: N/A
Sharpen Your Pencils: Preliminary Evidence That Adult Coloring Reduces Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety
Flett, Jayde A. M.; Lie, Celia; Riordan, Benjamin C.; Thompson, Laura M.; Conner, Tamlin S.; Hayne, Harlene
Creativity Research Journal, v29 n4 p409-416 2017
Adult coloring books have flooded the market with titles alluding to therapeutic value, yet it is unclear whether they fulfil that promise. Here, we tested whether adult coloring was related to improvements in psychological outcomes. Female university students (n = 104) were randomly assigned to a coloring intervention or a logic-puzzle control group. Participants completed an inventory of psychological measures (depressive symptoms, stress, anxiety, flourishing, resilience, mindfulness) and then participated in a 1-week intervention of either daily coloring or logic-puzzles. Following the intervention, participants again completed the inventory of psychological measures. Coloring participants showed significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety after the intervention, but control participants did not. We conclude that daily coloring can improve some negative psychological outcomes and that it may provide an effective, inexpensive, and highly accessible self-help tool for nonclinical samples.
Descriptors: Adults, Freehand Drawing, Art Activities, Books, Art Therapy, Depression (Psychology), Anxiety Disorders, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Outcomes of Treatment, College Students, Females, Intervention, Psychological Testing, Puzzles, Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Stress Management, Measures (Individuals), Likert Scales, Resilience (Psychology), Randomized Controlled Trials, Statistical Analysis, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A