The effects of mandala group art therapy on bereaved college students: An exploratory study

Acta Psychol (Amst). 2025 Aug 11;259:105399. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105399. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study examined the efficacy of Mandala Group Art Therapy in alleviating negative emotions and enhancing personal growth among bereaved college students. Using a randomized matched-pairs design, 48 participants (16 males, 32 females) were assigned to either an 8-week mandala group art therapy intervention (120-minute weekly sessions) or a control group. Outcome measures including grief (PG-13), depression, anxiety (DASS-21), and personal growth (HGRC-PG) were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and 2-month follow-up. Results demonstrated that compared to controls, the intervention group showed significant reductions in grief (η_p² = 0.54), depression (η_p² = 0.26), and anxiety (η_p² = 0.19), along with increased personal growth (η_p² = 0.26), with treatment effects maintained at follow-up (all ps < .001). These findings suggest that mandala group art therapy is an effective intervention for improving psychological adjustment in bereaved college students.

PMID:40795442 | DOI:10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105399