Research Overview
As a student at a Catholic Franciscan University, we are called to uphold the values of the Franciscan tradition in our lives. Just as St. Bonaventure said, “there is no knowledge without love”. Through compassion, we are called to share in God’s unconditional love with those on the margins of society around the world. Through wisdom, we are called to be concerned not only with the intellect we gain through studying, but also with the will, the heart, and the body. By learning concepts and skills like painting a portrait, we can further that by discerning how to truly live humanly, deeply, and well in the world. And through integrity, we can take these values and take them into our personal and professional lives as teachers, health care professionals, and more. My hope is that students participating in this project will be educated in their hearts as well as their minds, preparing them to help others transform every corner of the world.
Summary
This prospective cohort study looked to examine the correlation between volunteer art and perceived stress in undergraduate students at a small catholic college in rural western New York. After a proper ethical review was completed by the IRB, information about the study was emailed and participants were screened. Those who qualify will complete a pre and post-volunteer art intervention survey and quantitative data was collected from the Likert scale questions and perceived stress scale. Data was collected via a password-protected program (Qualtrics) and kept for three years. Findings were analyzed and discussed.
Background
College is not always an easy transition for everyone. While exciting, it is known for being extremely stressful with late nights, increased responsibilities, a potential lack of good time management, and changes in eating and sleeping habits. With the COVID-19 Pandemic still going strong, the stress levels of college students are at an all-time high. According to the CDC, public health actions like social distancing are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but they can make us feel isolated and lonely, increasing stress and anxiety (CDC). With no easy way to get away from this stress due to lockdowns and restrictions, students are oftentimes forced to stay secluded indoors where the problem only becomes worse. According to the World Health Organization, wellbeing promotion is as important as the reduction of mental diseases (WHO). There are many ways to relieve stress that allow individuals to adhere to the strict COVID policies. Some examples include taking virtual classes like yoga, playing an instrument, and seeking counseling. However, a lot of these methods require financial resources that may not be readily available due to increasing unemployment due to the pandemic.
Stress takes a huge toll on the human body. It has been linked to several adverse health conditions including mental health concerns, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, skin conditions, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, and obesity (Rizer, 2016). Specifically, college students have numerous stressors while navigating this new lifestyle. Symptoms of fatigue and depression can have an effect on academic achievement, and further worsen the problem. Art and volunteering are used to improve the behavioral, cognitive and mental health outcomes. There is a positive correlation between decreasing anxiety and depression, pain, and well-being and art therapy. Combining both art and volutneering, the goal was to bringing down stress levels while helping a good cause. This prospective cohort study investigated how weekly volunteer art affects stress in college students attending a small private college in western New York using a Likert scale survey.
The population of study is unique since it works with a small catholic university. This study was also completed two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, where stress levels have been continuously running high.
Project Design, Recruitment, Sample, & Setting
An experiment was an appropriate project design to investigate a possible correlation between variables. The independent variable was the students going through the volunteer art study. The dependent variable is perceived stress. By gathering data from a survey, the participants were able to provide answers in the form of quantitative data. This allowed for statistical analysis to be completed for possible significance. It also allowed this project to be completed in a timely manner, since there is a time constraint for this study. However, it is worth mentioning that the number of participants involved in this project was small since the university itself is considerably small in size. Therefore, statistical significance is achievable but clinical significance is important.
A quantitative primary prospective cohort study was conducted in a small catholic college in rural western New York. The Notice Board, a daily emailed bulletin sent out by this University, contained a link to sign up for this study. Inclusion criteria: be 18 years or older (to be able to give written consent), be a full time undergraduate student at this University, be able to understand and communicate in English, and able to commit to finishing the portrait. Those who do not meet the above criteria will be excluded from the study. Additionally, the following exclusion criteria applied: part-time students, and faculty. Students met twice a week Tuesday & Thursday from 7 to 8:30pm on campus. Additional cost was funded through GoFundMe, which was shared via this website & social media.
Instrumentation and Data Collection
At the beginning and end art session, perceived stress was evaluated in students using quantitative tools. Evaluation tools included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The PSS is a tool with much validity and reliability, started from previous research. It is widely used to report an individual’s evaluation of his/her stress levels. This study was one of minimal risk to participants. The probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated during this project was not greater than any ordinary encounter in daily life. In case any negative feelings are brought about by questions relating to stress or depression, a resource (student wellness center) was provided at the end of the survey for students to turn to for professional help.
This questionnaire focuses on 14 questions based on feelings and thoughts of stressful events, controlling, overcoming, and coping with stress during the last months. Responses were evaluated on a five-point Likert scale with 0 meaning never to 4 meaning very often. 40 is the highest possible score available. The higher the score, the more perceived the stress an individual has. This survey should take about 8 minutes to complete. By comparing the data from the pre and post survey, perceived stress was be measured and a trend (increase, decrease, or staying the same) was shown. Data was collected in the form of a pre and post-intervention (volunteer art session) survey. The first page was the consent form, which was digitally signed. If the participant chose not to give consent to the study, the survey will end with a thank you message. If a student answered a question that is categorized as exclusion criteria, the survey also ended with a thank you message and answers were not recorded. If a participant failed to complete the entirety of a survey, the remaining data will not be included as well. Only the researcher and faculty overseeing the project have access to the data. It is located on a password protected computer in a password protected program (Qualtrics).
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