The Effects Of Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy On Stress And Cortisol Levels In Graduate And Professional-Level Student

The field of art therapy has gained momentum in its collaboration with neuroscience in the quest for greater empirical evidence for the efficacy of the field. While there have been a few studies testing the applicability of salivary testing of cortisol with this type of research, no concrete studies have been conducted involving analyzing the effects that multiple sessions of art therapy have on stress. This study obtained empirical evidence determining the effects that a 4-week, mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) group had on cortisol concentration and perceived stress from participants.;This study employed a quasi-experimental interrupted time-series research design allowing for comparative data between a pretest and posttest value of cortisol in graduate and medical students. Comparisons were made between the cortisol concentrations in all participants before and after the first and last session as well as between the data sets from each session to determine the longevity of effects. In addition, the participants' perceived stress was quantitatively analyzed through the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The intervention being tested was MBAT in a group setting. The information gathered from the cortisol testing has implications for supporting the need for stress reducing programming for graduate-level students, as well as has important implications for using MBAT as a stress reduction tool.