The effects of group drawing therapy based on self-psychology theory on anxiety in college students : a randomized controlled trial

Objective The present study explores the effects of group drawing therapy based on self-psychology theory on anxiety in college students . Materials and Methods The present study selected 42 college students from a university in Wuhan and divided into an experimental group ( n = 21 ) and a control group ( n = 21 ). The experimental group underwent eight group drawing therapies and the control group underwent eight regular mental health sessions. The total anxiety scores were separately measured using the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale at the three time points : baseline (T 0), after intervention (T 1 ), and after 12 weeks (T 2 ) . Results There were significant differences in the time effect ( F = 82.795, p < 0.01 ) and the between-group effect ( F = 16.874, p < 0.01 ). Meanwhile, there was an interaction effect between time and group ( F = 56.400, p < 0.01 ), indicating that group drawing therapy at different time periods affected anxiety in college students, and the degree of the effect varied. The anxiety scores of the experimental group after the intervention ( T 1 ) and after 12 weeks ( T 2 ) were statistically different from those before the intervention ( T 0 ) ( F = 0.643, P < 0.01, F = 0.549, P < 0.01 ), while the anxiety scores at after 12 weeks (T2) and after the intervention (T1) were not statistically different (F = 0.463, p > 0.05), indicating that the effect was sustained as well as stable. Conclusion The group drawing therapy based on self-psychology theory can can reduce anxiety in college students .