Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026

Examining Changes in HRV and Emotion Following Artmaking with Three Different Art Materials
Published on: January 11, 2020
Creative and expressive practices as coping strategies among working women during the COVID-19 pandemic: a
Kasturi Bai Munusamy1, Mohd Nazri Bin Abdul Rahman1, Amira Najiha Binti Yahya1
1Pusat Kecemerlangan Kesihatan Mental Kebangsaan, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Introduction:
The COVID-19 pandemic intensified stress among working women in Malaysia as they managed overlapping professional, domestic, emotional, and financial pressures. This study explored how working women experienced pandemic-related stress and how they used expressive arts practices as part of their coping efforts.
Methods:
Guided by a qualitative interpretivist approach, the study involved semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 31 working women in Malaysia aged 21 to 60 who remained employed during the pandemic and engaged in expressive activities such as drawing, painting, dance, clay work, and writing. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results:
The findings showed that participants experienced stress through interconnected challenges, including mental and emotional turbulence, difficulties with work-life integration, financial insecurity, and job uncertainty. Participants described expressive arts practices as helpful for non-verbal emotional expression, self-exploration, physical and mental relief, positive emotions, and psychological stabilization.
Discussion:
Expressive arts practices were generally self-initiated and adapted to participants' personal routines and emotional needs rather than delivered as formal therapist-led interventions. The study suggests that creative and expressive practices may serve as accessible coping resources for working women during crisis periods and highlights the importance of recognizing gendered stress experiences in workplace and mental health support initiatives.
Related Concept Videos
Coping Strategies: Emotion Focused
Coping Strategies: Problem Focused
For example, consider a student who struggles to understand their...
Psychological Responses to Stress
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events, are a...
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV