How Drawing to Distract Improves Mood in Children

Abstract

Previous research has shown that drawing improves short-term mood in children when used to distract from rather than express negative thoughts and feelings. The current study sought to examine (a) how drawing might elevate mood in children ages 6–12 by examining the role played by absorption, enjoyment, and perceived competence as well as entering an imaginary world; and (b) whether children spontaneously use drawing to distract from a sad mood. Across three studies, children were asked to think of a disappointing event. After a sad mood induction, they drew for 5 min. Mood was measured before and after the mood induction and after drawing. Three main findings emerged. First, drawing to distract led to greater absorption and enjoyment than did drawing to express. Second, children’s mood improved equally when drawing imaginary and real scenes showing that the key ingredient is that the content of the drawings be distracting in nature. Third, drawing improved mood even when children were given no instructions on the content of their drawings and children were more likely to use drawing as a way to distract themselves from a sad mood. These studies help to define the characteristics of drawing activities that foster mood improvement in children and highlight the important role of the arts in emotion regulation.

The assessment of creativity for people with autism spectrum disorder

“…Indeed, involvement in the arts is an important component of a well‐rounded education and in the enjoyment of life for all youth. Benefits extend to enhanced mood (Drake, 2021), stronger feelings of connection with other people (Smith, 2014), reduced stress (Zimmermann & Mangelsdorf, 2020), and higher self‐esteem (Chappell et al, 2021). Individuals with ASD who are capable of creative thinking and expression should continue to be encouraged to engage in creative activities.…”

Travma ve Krize Müdahale Yaklaşımları: Kuramsal Bir Bakış

“…Sanat temelli müdahalelerde bu tekniklerin yanı sıra BDT temelli teknikler, psiko-eğitim, çizim teknikleri, kabul temelli tekniklerden de yararlanılabilmektedir. Sanat temelli müdahalelerle; duyguların düzenlenmesi (Drake, 2021;Kastner ve diğ., 2021), iyi oluş halinin desteklenmesi (Pipere ve diğ., 2020;Volk ve diğ., 2020), kaygı ve depresyon düzeylerinde düşüşün sağlanması (Havsteen-Franklin ve diğ., 2013) ve yaşam kalitesinin artırılması (Savazzi ve diğ., 2020) sağlanmaktadır. Sanat temelli müdahalelerin etkililiği incelendiğinde, iyi oluşun desteklenmesinde (Ager ve diğ., 2011), fiziksel veya cinsel istismara uğramış bireyler üzerinde (Brillantes-Evangelista, 2013;Pifalo, 2002Pifalo, , 2006Visser ve Du Plessis, 2015), kayıp yaşantısında (Hilliard, 2001(Hilliard, , 2007, kriz sonrasında oluşan davranım bozukluklarının (Kim, 2015(Kim, , 2017 ve travma sonrası stres bozukluklarının (Chapman ve diğ., 2001;Lyshak-Stelzer ve diğ., 2007;Schreier ve diğ., 2005;Tol ve diğ., 2008) tedavisinde etkili olduğu tespit edilmiştir.…”

Reinvigorating the Desire to Teach: Teacher Professional Development for Creativity, Agency, Stress Reduction, and Wellbeing

“…Creative work in the arts, specifically, has a long history of therapeutic application. For instance, research found that drawing with a distraction object (e.g., draw a house) improved the mood better for children than if they were asked to express themselves through drawing (Drake, 2021). Forgeard et al (2021) found improvements in the mood, general self-efficacy, mindfulness, and social connectedness, among other factors, for adult participants from a partial hospital program who experienced a 50-min unstructured art-making activity in a clinical setting.…”