Effectiveness of mindfulness-based colouring for test anxiety in adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a mindfulness art activity (mandala) with a free draw/colouring activity on test anxiety in adolescents with an examination of gender differences, and to assess the effect of dispositional mindfulness on students' experience of mindfulness and test anxiety states. Participants were 193 Grade 8 students (56.6% female; M age ¼ 13.49 years, SD ¼ 0.50) randomly assigned to a mandala (n ¼ 97) or free draw/colouring condition (n ¼ 96). Students completed standardized measures to assess test anxiety and state mindfulness pre-post-colouring intervention, immediately prior to completing a test, in addition to a measure of dispositional mindfulness. Results showed a significant decrease in test anxiety and a significant increase in state mindfulness following both activities; however, a gender by group by time interaction was found such that females reported a greater decrease in test anxiety in the free condition compared to males. Furthermore, the baseline measures (pre-intervention state mindfulness and test anxiety) were found to fully mediate relations between dispositional mindfulness and the outcome measures (post-intervention state mindfulness and test anxiety). Implications for educators and future research and practice regarding the use of mindfulness activities in the classroom are discussed.

Exploring the Effect of Coloring Mandalas on Students’ Math Anxiety in Business Statistics Courses

“…As such, coloring a structured mandala was more effective at reducing math anxiety than doodling on a white sheet of paper with a mean decrease of 0.45. This finding is consistent with previous analytical findings supporting the theoretical assumption that coloring a structured mandala is an effective mindfulness approach to reduce university students' anxiety in comparison to doodling (control condition) (Curry & Kasser, 2005;van der Vennet & Serice, 2012;Carsley & Heath, 2018). However, in the study no significant differences were found in math anxiety levels when comparing the pre-drawn (structured) group and the coloring of the mandala group, t (102) = -.062, p = .47.…”

Rationale, Methods, Feasibility, and Preliminary Outcomes of a Transdiagnostic Prevention Program for At-Risk College Students

“…In contrast to self-compassion, we did not observe any changes in our measures of mindfulness and mentalization following the intervention. Although very brief mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to have positive effects in adolescents (113,114), our intervention may not have been long enough to produce measurable changes (as reflected by changes in scores on the selected self-report measure) in these skills, which may require a period of training longer than four weeks, particularly in college students who typically have numerous competing demands. Unlike in conventional mindfulness interventions (e.g., mindfulness based cognitive therapy, which is comprised of 8 twohour sessions with daily practice), participants in this program were not required to engage in extensive exercises between sessions (the mindfulness exercises were recommended only) because we felt that such a requirement would reduce retention levels and overall feasibility of the intervention; our initial piloting suggested that the students were unlikely to complete such assigned "homework".…”

Are we Missing Opportunities? How Occupational Therapists Would Benefit from Connecting Mindfulness to Occupational Participation

“…Most forms of informal mindfulness, generally described as an additional activity in which one applies a mindful attention, such as in yoga, have yielded measurable benefits in stress reduction, mental health, and other health conditions, including reduced pain perception (Carsley & Heath, 2018;Hardison & Roll, 2016;Strauss et al, 2014). Informal mindfulness is defined by the application of mindful awareness while experiencing participation in everyday activities without perseveration on competing thoughts, feelings, and body sensations (Kabat-Zinn, 2003).…”

“…Seven articles were initially identified that closely matched the review question and search criteria. Two were published in the psychology literature and described Level 1 studies in which the benefit of stress reduction through embedding mindfulness into either a coloring activity with adolescents (Carsley & Heath, 2018) or washing dishes with undergraduate students (Hanley et al, 2015) was found to be of benefit in measured outcomes. The authors in both studies suggested that applying informal mindfulness in the context of a meaningful activity was worth pursuing for preventive stress management.…”