Interdisciplinary research team’s article named one of four best for 2012
A recent study published by Sarah Gorham, MFA, MAT, assistant professor in the Department of Arts and Communications; Nancy Rankin, M.Ed., LPC, senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology; David Grimm, Ed.D., assistant lecturer in the Biology Department; and David Sandmire, M.D., interim associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of biology, was selected as one of the four best articles published in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association in 2012.
The interdisciplinary group is exploring whether student anxiety can be reduced by involvement in art-making. They are working with undergraduate students in this cross-disciplinary study prompted by the high prevalence of anxiety among college students. Nearly 40 million American adults have symptoms of anxiety, and it continues to be the predominant presenting concern of college students.
The UNE study, titled, “The Influence of Art Making on Anxiety: A Pilot Study,” showed that even a brief, 30-minute period of art-making can significantly decrease students’ own perception of anxiety, as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
The second phase of the group’s work, completed just this year, examined not only one’s own perception of anxiety but also one’s physiological measures of anxiety following an art-making activity. Looking at beat-to-beat variability in heart rate, a commonly used measure of the activity of the autonomic nervous system, the research group found that art-making significantly calmed the body.
The group hopes to extend this line of research to assess whether a long-term regimen of art-making has longer lasting effects on one’s anxiety level and academic performance.
University campuses frequently invest large portions of their budgets to build athletic facilities both for recreational and health benefits. The findings of UNE’s research group may provide a strong argument for universities to provide not only athletic facilities but also walk-in, student-centered arts and crafts studios as a way for any student, athlete or not, to reaffirm a center of focus, realign spirit, and reduce stressors.