Testing the potential therapeutic effects of an online creative arts-based intervention for people with anxiety

Creative arts-based interventions are a relatively new addition to the toolkit of psychological treatments for mental afflictions. As such, the therapeutic efficacy of these therapies when conducted remotely via digital media has been under-researched. To address this gap, this study tested the effects of an online creative arts-based intervention to alleviate anxiety.

A repeated measures quasi-experimental design was employed on a sample of British adults (N = 41). Data were collected using pre- and post-intervention scores on the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing (WEMWBS) scales.

Inferential analysis procedures consisting of multiple tests for within-subjects effects all showed significantly lower levels of anxiety and higher levels of mental wellbeing post-intervention.

Whilst additional confirmatory and longitudinal research is needed, the results of this exploratory study tentatively indicate that creative arts-based "interventions" delivered through digital media may be effective in substantively reducing common symptoms of anxiety.