Keywords
creative activity, anxiety, mental health, art, somatic symptoms
Abstract
The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between creative activity and physiological symptoms of anxiety. It was hypothesized that an increase in participation in creative activity would be related to a decrease in physiological symptoms. For this study, 250 participants were recruited through social media and SONA, and were prompted to complete surveys reporting how frequently they engaged in creative activities and the degree to which they experienced physiological symptoms. Results found that there was a significant relationship between two of the variables of interest (arts and crafts and sports) and somatic symptoms. Participants who reported higher activity in sports reported lower somatic symptoms, but those who reported higher activity in arts and crafts also reported higher somatic symptoms. The results pertaining to arts and crafts and somatic symptoms go against the hypothesis, suggesting that participation in arts and crafts can result in a higher amount of somatic symptoms of anxiety.
Thesis Completion Year
2024
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Whitten, Shannon
College
College of Sciences
Department
Psychology
Thesis Discipline
Psychology
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Solivan, Amanda G., "The Relationship Between Creative Activity and Physiological Symptoms of Anxiety" (2024). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 124.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/124
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