Impact of a Creative Engagement Course on Emotional Well Being, Perceived Stress, and Resilience: A Pre Post Study

Abstract

Creative engagement or activity is now being recognised as a means to foster emotional well-being and reduce stress. Young adults in particular, have immense pressure placed upon them in relation to their academic and vocational studies, as well as the rigors of daily life. This paper investigated the implications of taking a Creative Engagement Course, on the emotional well-being, stress and resilience of 58 young adults, aged 18-25 years. The participants were asked to complete the WHO-5 Well-Being Index, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) before and after the 4 week Creative Engagement Course. The Course consisted of a range of creative engagement activities including: reflective drawing and art, journaling, symbolic representation and mindfulness-based creative engagement tasks. The findings indicated that there was positive influence on the emotional well being of the participants, resilience and the perceived stress levels after the intervention. The study suggests that participation in creative engagement activities can be an effective and accessible strategy for fostering good mental health and enhancing emotional resilience in young adults.