Why Volunteer Art?
According to a study done by Harvard Medical School, there is a positive correlation between expression through art and a decrease in depression, anxiety, or cancer. This has also been linked to improved memory, reasoning, and resilience (Harvard Heath, 2017). Cynthia Standley, from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, also adds how art helps students sharpen their skills in observation and description, foster critical thinking and improve communication skills (Standley). Through this, communication skills are also refined to ultimately enhance patient care. This is very applicable to anyone who will be working with people in the future. Research on volunteering has shown to decrease mortality, improve self-rated health, mental health, life satisfaction, social interaction, healthy behaviors, and coping ability (Casiday, 2015). Forty-two percent of teens say they either are not doing enough to manage their stress or they are not sure if they are doing enough to manage it (American Psychological Association, 2013). By merging both art therapy and volunteering, the benefits are numerous!
Casiday, R. (2015, October 30). Volunteering and Health: What Impact Does It Really Have? Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228628782_Volunteering_and_Health_What_Impact_Does_It_Really_Have
Standley, C. (n.d.). The program of art in medicine. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/departments/bioethics-and-medical-humanism/program-art-medicine
My Research
Recruit
After information on the university website was published, 9 students signed up for the project. Only 7 completed the project.
Complete
Students attended 1.5 hour sessions every Tuesday & Thursday for a month to work on portraits. An ananymous Percieved Stress Scale survey was completed before and after each session.
Analyze
Qualtrex was used to statistically anylize the results of the surveys.
Who are the children in the portraits?
Results
This study asked, What are the effects of weekly volunteer art on stress in college students at a Catholic University in Western New York? Overall, every single participant documented that perceived stress has decreased in at least one category from the Perceived Stress Scale. Looking at a question-by-question breakdown comparing answers before and after the volunteer art intervention:
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40% of the answers resulted in a decrease in perceived stress after the volunteer art activity.
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42% of the answers about perceived stress levels from the questionnaire stayed the same.
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19% of the answers showed an increase in perceived stress.
However, it is worth mentioning that the number of participants involved in this project is small (eight participants). Therefore, statistical significance is not achievable but the clinical significance here is still important.
100%
of participants saw a decrease in Perceived Stress in at least one category
40%
Saw an overall decrease in perceived stress in all categories
42%