The Effectiveness of Painting Therapy Based on Mindfulness on Cognitive Avoidance of Female Students with Test Anxiety Disorders

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to the effectiveness of painting therapy based on mindfulness on cognitive avoidance in students with test anxiety disorders. The present study was quasi-experimental and the statistical population was all female students in the mid-school in district 9 of Tehran during the academic year 2021-2022. A sample of 30 girls with test anxiety, identified by using the test anxiety questionnaire, were selected using the convenience sampling method and random assignment in two groups (15 girls in each the control group and the experimental group). The experimental group was trained in painting therapy based on mindfulness (10 sessions of 60 minutes) and the control group was not trained. The test anxiety questionnaire was used to identify the target sample and the cognitive avoidance questionnaire and the painting therapy protocol based on mindfulness were used. Descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate covariance analysis, and eta squared results showed that drawing therapy based on mindfulness reduced cognitive avoidance in students. Therefore, painting therapy based on mindfulness is recommended as a psychological intervention to improve the cognitive avoidance of students with test anxiety and increase mental health.

Keywords

• cognitive avoidance
• mindfulness-based painting therapy
• test anxiety