DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2026.11684 ISSN: 0924-9338

Effects of Art Therapy emotion Expression of Students

L. Utaş Akhan, F. Kiras

Introduction

The study population consisted of 74 fourth-year students studying in the Nursing Department of Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University’s Faculty of Health Sciences during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Objectives

First, students were interviewed and informed about the purpose and importance of the research. Written consent was obtained from students who agreed to participate in the study, and data collection forms were administered by the researchers using a face-to-face interview technique. The art therapy course was conducted two hours per week for 12 weeks with students in the experimental group. The course was conducted in the central classrooms of Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University by the faculty member responsible, Latife UTAŞ AKHAN, who holds a doctoral degree in art therapy and an art therapy practice certificate. In the first week of the art therapy course, students were introduced to the course and provided with information about its scope.

Methods

The relevant course for the fourth year is offered as an elective in the “Art Therapy” course. The minimum data size for the study was determined as 40 students, with at least 20 in the experimental and control groups, a 95% confidence interval, an effect size of 0.8, and a theoretical power of 80%.Accordingly, an experimental area was created for those who enrolled in an elective art therapy course based on minimal dimensions and refused to participate. A control group was selected on a voluntary basis to be homogeneous with the experimental group in terms of gender (as gender is a significant factor in the variables to be examined) and scale scores.Data were collected using an Introductory Information Form and the Abbreviated Expressed Emotion Scale.

Results

Table 1.

Table 1. Long description.

Characteristics
Intervention Group n (%)
Control Group
n (%) χ² p-value
Gender
0.073 0.787
Female
16 16
Male
4 4
Age
0.217 0.641
18–22 years
17 17
≥22 years
3 3
Economic status
0.189 0.910
Good
7 8
Moderate
10 11
Bad
3 1
Family history of psychiatric disorder
0.558 0.455
No
18 17
Yes
2 3

Conclusions

The study found an increase in motivational sub-tension in the emotion regulation variable, an increase in positive emotional sub-relationships in the happiness variable, and an increase in positive emotional changes and closeness warmth in the experimental groups.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

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