Expressive Arts Participation as a Coping Mechanism for Stress among Young Adults (18-25)
Abstract: Young adulthood involves major educational, occupational and social transitions that can raise psychological stress. Expressive arts such as music, painting, dance, embroidery, photography, and creative writing may offer opportunities for emotional expression and coping, yet little is known about young adults in India's everyday, self-initiated creative engagement. This cross-sectional survey examined expressive arts participation, perceived stress and coping in 95 young adults aged 18-25 years (54 arts participants, 41 non-participants). We measured perceived stress with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), coping with a shortened Brief COPE, and participation with a self-developed questionnaire. Perceived stress did not differ significantly between arts and non-arts participants (t(93) = 1.043, p = .300, d = 0.22), participation frequency was not significantly correlated with stress (r = .041, p = .766), and stress did not differ across art forms (F(10, 43) = 1.529, p = .162). In exploratory analyses, arts participants reported more emotional support seeking (p = .005, d = 0.60) and venting (p = .002, d = 0.66) than non-participants. Participation alone may not explain stress outcomes, but may be linked to emotion-focused coping.
Keywords: Expressive Arts, Perceived Stress, Young Adults, Mental Health, Coping
How to Cite?: Surabhi Parekh, Richa Gupta, "Expressive Arts Participation as a Coping Mechanism for Stress among Young Adults (18-25)", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1347-1350, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261020152955, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261020152955