Visual journaling: An intervention to influence stress, anxiety and affect levels in medical students

Abstract

Research has shown that medical students have higher levels of stress and anxiety than the general population, increasing their risk of health problems, mental illness, and suicide. This study looked at the effects of visual journaling as a possible stress-reduction technique. Research took place with students and staff of Eastern Virginia Medical School, with data collected over two sessions consisting of inventory scores of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-X), artwork in their visual journals, and a questionnaire. While the number of participants was not large enough to show statistical significance, there was a general decrease in anxiety and negative affect levels among nearly all participants from the pretest to the posttest. This study showed that visual journaling was a promising intervention for stress reduction in a medical environment; however, more research is needed to justify its implementation.