Effectiveness of Expressive Art Therapy on Physiological and Biochemical Parameter among Women in Selected Destitute Home at Chennai

Background: Expressive art therapy has emerged as a significant intervention method in both psychological and physical health realms, allowing individuals to utilize various artistic mediums for emotional expression and healing. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of expressive art therapy on physiological parameter and salivary cortisol among women in selected destitute home. Methods: The study employed a quasi-experimental approach to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention on destitute women, divided into age groups of below 40 and above 41 years, residing in various destitute homes. Purposive sampling method was used. The study utilized purposive sampling to recruit 120 participants, distributing them evenly with 60 in the experimental group and 60 in the control group. Those who were sick, or taking psychiatric medication were excluded. Socio demographic variables, Biophysiological parameters and biochemical parameters were measured before and after the intervention. Results: The study result showed that the intervention significantly reduces salivary cortisol levels was contained in the experimental group between post-test and control (p<0.001). ANOVA showed the group, test and the group x test interaction to be significant (p<0.001). Moreover, unusual improvement in the physiological parameters (p<0.001) was observed in the experimental group, while no significant changes were found in the control group. Conclusion: The study result suggests that expressive art therapy is an effective intervention for stress reduction in destitute women. Future research should build upon these results by exploring long-term effects and potential applications across diverse demographics and clinical settings.