Rock Painting is Related to a Reduction in Anxiety among Undergraduates
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Type
Submission
Keywords
Mental Health, Art Therapy, Undergraduates, Anxiety, Workshop, Rock Painting, Loneliness, Resilience, Social Connection, Play
Department
Psychology
Major
Psychology
Abstract
The current study examined whether rock painting for 25 minutes would reduce college students’ state anxiety. Brown (2010) has found that play helps humans to prepare for the unexpected and remain optimistic. Furthermore, Magsamen and Ross (2023) have found that creative activities cultivate well-being and restore mental health.
We designed a pre-post intervention using rock painting to reduce anxiety. In a group setting, a total of 46 Seaver undergraduates (74% female; 43% white; mean age = 20.05 years old (SD = 1.80)) completed three measures before and after painting rocks for 25 minutes. One measure was the 6-item Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6, Marteau & Bekker, 1992; Cronbach’s α pre-intervention = .88; Cronbach’s α post-intervention = .86). Another measure was the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS-3, Hughes & Hunt, 2002; Cronbach’s α pre-intervention = .82; Cronbach’s α post-intervention .75). A third measure was the 2-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC2, Vaishnavi et al., 2007; Cronbach’s α pre-intervention = .40; Cronbach’s α post-intervention .28). Paired t-tests showed that rock painting lowered participants’ anxiety (pre-intervention M = 2.05 (SD = .71); post-intervention M = 1.57 (SD = .57); t(45) = 5.36, p < .001), and the reduction was medium in effect size (Cohen’s d = .61). Rock painting, however, had no effects on loneliness and resilience.
The preliminary results are encouraging of using rock painting, which incorporates both play and creativity, as a way to help students reduce anxiety. Future research can employ an experiment with random assignment of participants to a rocking painting group or a control group.
Faculty Mentor
Khanh Bui
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
10-4-2026 1:00 PM
End Date
10-4-2026 2:00 PM
Rock Painting is Related to a Reduction in Anxiety among Undergraduates
Waves Cafeteria
The current study examined whether rock painting for 25 minutes would reduce college students’ state anxiety. Brown (2010) has found that play helps humans to prepare for the unexpected and remain optimistic. Furthermore, Magsamen and Ross (2023) have found that creative activities cultivate well-being and restore mental health.
We designed a pre-post intervention using rock painting to reduce anxiety. In a group setting, a total of 46 Seaver undergraduates (74% female; 43% white; mean age = 20.05 years old (SD = 1.80)) completed three measures before and after painting rocks for 25 minutes. One measure was the 6-item Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6, Marteau & Bekker, 1992; Cronbach’s α pre-intervention = .88; Cronbach’s α post-intervention = .86). Another measure was the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS-3, Hughes & Hunt, 2002; Cronbach’s α pre-intervention = .82; Cronbach’s α post-intervention .75). A third measure was the 2-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC2, Vaishnavi et al., 2007; Cronbach’s α pre-intervention = .40; Cronbach’s α post-intervention .28). Paired t-tests showed that rock painting lowered participants’ anxiety (pre-intervention M = 2.05 (SD = .71); post-intervention M = 1.57 (SD = .57); t(45) = 5.36, p < .001), and the reduction was medium in effect size (Cohen’s d = .61). Rock painting, however, had no effects on loneliness and resilience.
The preliminary results are encouraging of using rock painting, which incorporates both play and creativity, as a way to help students reduce anxiety. Future research can employ an experiment with random assignment of participants to a rocking painting group or a control group.