Following the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, this study investigates the short-term therapeutic effects of drawing interventions on adolescents' emotional expression, focusing specifically on Grade 9 and 10 students in conflict-affected region. Drawing on the findings of previous studies, including those by [1,2] this research aims to improve our understanding of the potential benefits of art interventions for adolescents during conflict. This study emphasizes the critical need for targeted emotional support interventions against the backdrop of the significant educational and psychological disruptions that Myanmar's adolescents are experiencing as a result of the ongoing conflict. By using a quantitative experimental approach, this study assesses changes in emotional expression by examining students' artworks and survey responses before and after drawing interventions, with a focused adolescent age group identified by [3,4] who are at a crucial developmental juncture in terms of emotional development and expression. The researcher's involvement in educational initiatives in Pekon Township, a conflict-affected area, gives this study a unique practical perspective and strengthens its goal of going beyond theoretical discussions and offering practical ways to improve these students' resilience and emotional well-being during a crucial developmental stage amid ongoing conflict.

Drawing interventions have been acknowledged as important therapeutic tools, particularly for adolescents in conflict-affected settings, as examined by studies from [5,1]. These interventions are crucial to enhance the emotional well-being of those individuals impacted by adversity. highlights the adverse effects of armed conflict on education, and stresses how important it is to provide urgent educational support in such environments, particularly in the Middle East. They discuss how education in emergencies (EiE) has changed since the reforms in 2005, proving how art interventions with psychosocial goals can assist those people in conflict zones. [1] Investigate art therapy's effectiveness for adolescents who suffer from personality disorders, demonstrating its therapeutic benefits through sensory engagement and highlighting its success in psychiatry, as a treatment for a range of mental health issues. Additionally, their research highlights the benefits of group-based art therapy approaches, which foster a supportive environment for participants. These studies collectively highlight the important role that art interventions play in supporting the psychological needs of youth in such challenging environments, assisting them in both healing and emotional expression through artistic approaches [2] developed a 12-week art intervention program for Syrian refugee youths in the U.S., to assess whether drawing interventions reduce stress and trauma-related concerns among the participants. The findings show significant improvement in coping mechanisms and the reduction of post-traumatic stress

disorder. [6] Studied the impact of art therapy on the emotional well-being and mental health of children in conflict-affected Kashmir. Their study highlighted the significant role of art in both fostering supportive school environment and enhancing students' sense of belonging and empowerment.

[7] Assessed the effectiveness of group art therapy in a school setting for eighth graders, observing improvements in coping skills and a decrease in disruptive behaviors. His study suggests that the utility of art therapy enhances students' transitions and promotes a sense of belonging within the school community. These studies collectively highlight the potential of art therapy in different educational and conflict settings, highlighting its value in supporting children and adolescents' mental health and well-being.

[8,9] provide insights into the effectiveness of group art therapy for addressing emotional and social issues among adolescents in varied settings. [8] Found that art therapy was particularly beneficial for "At-Risk" students, improving their handling of school-related and internalizing problems, while [9] discovered that art therapy sessions in schools helped students find a supportive space for emotional expression, evolving from a leisure activity to a significant therapeutic tool.

[10,11] further examined how art therapy impacts depression and well-being among adolescents. [10] used a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the therapy's effectiveness in reducing depression among high school students, while [11] employed participatory methods to comprehend how art engagement assists youth with depression and anxiety, emphasizing the significance of involving adolescents in expressing their mental health experiences through art. Together, these studies emphasize the significance of art therapy and engagement as adaptable tools for bolstering adolescent mental health and well-being across various circumstances.

The literature review indicates a considerable volume of research affirming the beneficial therapeutic outcomes of art and drawing interventions, particularly aimed at enhancing the emotional well-being of individuals, including adolescents, in contexts of conflict and adversity. These empirical studies encompass a variety of environments, ranging from conflict zones in the Middle East to support programs for refugee youths in the United States, demonstrating that art intervention effectively improves emotional well-being, fosters coping mechanisms, and facilitates emotional expression. Despite these findings, there is a noticeable research gap concerning the immediate impact of such interventions on the emotional expressions of adolescents or high school students in conflict-impacted regions, with a specific shortage of tailored research in conflict-affected areas such as Myanmar. This experimental survey research seeks to address these gaps by assessing the immediate influence of art interventions on the emotional well-being of students in grades 9 and 10 in Myanmar, with the objective of offering valuable insights into the deployment of art therapy within educational frameworks in conflict-stricken settings to enhance students' emotional resilience and expressive abilities.

To explore the short-term therapeutic effects of art intervention on emotional expression and emotional well-being among Grade 9 and 10 students in conflict-affected areas of Myanmar.

Research Questions and Hypothesis

Research Questions: How does art intervention affect the emotional well-being, emotional states (worry, sadness, happiness, and mental well-being), and personal emotional experiences of adolescents in conflict-affected areas of Myanmar?

Hypothesis; Art intervention significantly improves the emotional well-being, specific emotional states (worry, sadness, happiness, and overall mental well-being), and personal emotional experiences of adolescents in the conflict-affected areas of Myanmar.

Research Design and Method

This study adopts a quantitative experimental survey research design to assess the therapeutic effects of art interventions on the emotional well-being of Grade 9 and 10 students in conflict-affected areas of Myanmar. Utilizing surveys as the primary data collection method, the research aims to measure changes in emotional states before and after drawing sessions, comparing two groups with distinct approaches: free drawing and guided drawing.

Methodological Approach

This study employs survey to investigate the impact of art activities on the emotional well-being of 9th and 10th graders in conflict-impacted regions of Myanmar. Grounded in existing art therapy research, the survey is designed to measure changes in students' emotional states—happiness, sadness, worry, and peace of mind—before and after art sessions. The study compares free and guided drawing to understand how different art interventions affect students' emotions.

Informed consent from the minors' parents or guardians was obtained, ensuring participants understood the survey's purpose, confidentiality, and their voluntary participation. The survey was structured to be engaging and straightforward, guiding students through questions about their emotional states pre- and post-art interventions. Post-survey inquiries were designed to evaluate the students' experiences and the perceived benefits of expressing emotions through art, aiming to foster genuine responses and gather meaningful data on the therapeutic value of art activities.

Participants

The study included 80 students from two schools, 40 students from each, in conflict-affected areas of Pekon Township, Myanmar. The sample encompassed both internally displaced persons (IDP) and local village residents. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, ensuring diversity in demographics and the extent of conflict impact.

Interventions

The experimental group in one school engages in free drawing sessions, drawing whatever pictures they like without specific guidance. The experimental group in the other school participated in guided drawing sessions, where they responded to prompts which encourage them to illustrate specific emotions or convey messages they wish to express to others. Pre- and post-surveys captured participants' emotional states before and changes after the drawing intervention.

Ethical Considerations

The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the University of Massachusetts Lowell (IRB number: 24-040).

The data analysis was carried out using Stata. The study's analysis centered on survey results obtained before and after the art sessions, focusing on emotions such as happiness, sadness, and overall well-being among the students. Utilizing Stata, the researcher efficiently organized and analyzed the data, enabling a detailed comparison of the students' emotional states before and after participating in the art intervention.

The Impact of the Drawing Intervention on Students' Happiness and Sadness

22.5% of students felt unhappy, and 61.25% felt sad before the drawing intervention (Table 1 and Table 3). After the intervention, 60% of the students reported increased happiness (40% slightly, 20% significantly) (Table 2), while sadness decreased in 67.35% of the students (Table 4). This indicates that the drawing intervention generally reduced sadness and improved happiness.

The Level of Worries among Students before and After a Drawing Intervention

The level of worries among students before and after a drawing intervention is detailed in Table 7 and Table 8. Before the drawing intervention, 61.25% of students reported moderate worry, 15% had significant worry, 11.25% had minimal worry, and 12.5% had no worry (Table 7). After the intervention, 74.68% reported reduced worries, 7.59% experienced increased worry, and 17.72% saw no change (Table 8). The intervention significantly lowered worry levels for about 75% of the students, suggesting that drawing activities can effectively reduce worries, especially in conflict-affected school settings.

Student Mental Peace Before and After Drawing Intervention

Before drawing intervention, 37.5% of students felt discontent with their mental peace, 16.25% were uncertain, and 46.25% were satisfied, showing a division in emotional well-being (Table 5). After the intervention, 77.5% felt improved mental peace, 17.5% felt unchanged, and only 5% felt worse (Table 6). This highlights the intervention's positive impact, increasing satisfaction from 46.25% to 77.5%. It demonstrates the drawing intervention's effectiveness in enhancing the mental and emotional well-being of the majority of students.

Assessing the Efficacy of Drawing Interventions in Stress Relief and Curriculum Integration Among Students

The survey results show that 95% of students found drawing helpful for stress release, with only 3.75% disagreeing and 1.25% uncertain (Table 9). This indicates a broad recognition of its therapeutic value. The data also revealed differing views on integrating drawing into the academic curriculum: 12.5% opposed this idea, whereas a substantial 87.5% favored it, reflecting a strong collective preference for embedding artistic activities like drawing within the educational framework, especially in settings affected by conflict (Table 10).

Comparison between Two Students’ Group

Before the art intervention, the Free Drawing and Guided Drawing groups reported similar levels of sadness, with 32 and 31 students respectively feeling sad (Table 11). After the intervention, there was a noticeable improvement in emotions: 29 students in the Free Drawing and 33 in the Guided Drawing group felt better, suggesting a particularly beneficial impact of structured art activities (Table 12). Furthermore, 38 students in each group found drawing helpful for stress relief, affirming the intervention's role in managing stress (Table 13). This uniform enhancement in emotional and stress-related outcomes post-intervention underscores the effectiveness of art interventions in improving emotional well-being, regardless of the drawing approach.

Comparative Analysis of the Artistic Expressions between the Two Groups

The drawings from the two groups show clear differences as shown in appendix. The Free Drawing Group often drew landscapes with mountains and plants, suggesting a sense of peace. Some drawings with less color or a lone figure might show feelings of loneliness or deep thought. On the other hand, the Guided Drawing Group drew about conflict and difficult emotions. Their artworks include strong words that share their wishes for peace and the hardships they face because of conflict. Phrases such as: "Now, I learn that life is such a hard thing" and "I am not happy these days, missing home and want to stay with all the family members. Where is peace?" encapsulate the students' deep yearnings and reflect the turbulence of their current realities. Others, like "If we cannot go back and harvest, what are we going to eat" and "Way back to home wishing a pleasant morning," express concerns for the future and a desire to return to a sense of normalcy. Affirmations like "I want peace and freedom from fear" and "Let's be resilient till the end" further underscore the resilience and hopeful resolve present among the students, despite the adversity they face. The difference in the content of the drawings between the two groups suggests that the guided drawing approach may encourage students to confront and express their experiences more directly. This observation highlights the potential of art as a tool for helping young people to express complex emotions in settings affected by conflict.

This study aligns with [2], showing improved happiness in students after art interventions, which supports art therapy's role in enhancing emotional well-being in educational settings, especially among conflict-impacted youth. The decrease in sadness, echoing [1], indicates art therapy's potential in reducing negative emotions and possibly depression symptoms, as [10] suggests. Additionally, the increased mental peace and stability post-intervention, supported by [6,9], highlight art's effectiveness in fostering emotional equilibrium. The students' positive reception towards art therapy, in line with [12,8], underscores its perceived benefits and acceptability. This research advocates for integrating art-based interventions in educational programs, especially in conflict settings, to aid emotional processing and well-being in adolescents, contributing to the literature on art therapy's therapeutic impacts in specific contexts.

In my future research, I plan to use different types of art interventions to see how different approaches affect students' emotional well-being in conflict affected areas. My objective is to determine which artistic models are most effective in supporting these students express their emotions and build resilience. To ensure my findings are practical and beneficial, I intend to cooperate with local educators and probably with mental health professionals in Myanmar conflict-affected areas to apply the research outcomes in school support programs, aiming to improve the students' emotional health and learning experiences.

To deepen the research, I am considering a longitudinal approach to observe the enduring effects of art interventions, recognizing that short-term observations might not fully capture long-lasting impacts. Including a qualitative dimension will allow me to explore students' personal experiences with art, even with those who see drawing intervention increase their worries level, offering a deeper understanding of their emotional responses and journeys. By involving students from a variety of conflict-affected areas, I hope to make the research findings more broadly applicable.

Additionally, analyzing how different factors like age, gender, and specific conflict experiences influence the outcomes will provide more detailed insights. To enhance the study's robustness, I plan to introduce a control group that does not participate in the art interventions, enabling a clearer comparison of the effects. Through this structured and comprehensive approach, the research will not only identify effective art-based interventions but also contribute valuable knowledge to the field of educational support in conflict-affected settings.

Reflecting on these initial findings, I have identified key areas for methodological improvement, I have identified several areas where our research methods could be improved. One issue was the ambiguity in the emotional expression scale used in our surveys, where respondents found it difficult to distinguish between similar emotions like sadness and despair. To resolve this, I plan to revise the survey questions to better differentiate these emotions. For example, the question "How sad are you currently?" will be revised to "What type of sadness are you experiencing?" with specific options such as 'grief', 'disappointment', and 'loneliness'. Additionally, I intend to expand my sampling in future studies to include a broader array of students from different conflict-affected areas in Myanmar. This wider sampling will deepen our understanding of how various environmental contexts impact the effectiveness of art therapy. Also, my current survey on demographic and socioeconomic factors showed limited variation, suggesting the sample may not fully represent the broader population. Expanding my sampling would help me to better understand how diverse backgrounds influence emotional outcomes and improve intervention effectiveness. To gain a more detailed understanding of the survey data, Factor Analysis will be employed to uncover underlying factors in the emotional responses such as a potential "resilience" factor that might group together how students cope with adversity. This comprehensive methodological approach will ensure our interpretations of emotional constructs are both accurate and valid.

Participant Demographics and Group Distribution.

Table 1: Level of Happiness Before Drawing Intervention.

Table 2: Status of Happiness After Drawing Interventio.

Table 3: Level of Sadness Before the Drawing Intervention.

Table 4: Status of Sadness After Drawing.

Table 5: Level of Mental Peace Before the Drawing Intervention.

Table 6: Overall Feeling After Drawing Intervention.

Table 7: Level of Worries Before Drawing Intervention.

Table 8: Status of Worries After Drawing Intervention.

Table 9: Perception of Stress Release through Drawing.

Table 10: Opinion on Drawing Sessions in Curriculum.

Table 11: Before Art Intervention.

Table 12: After Art Intervention.

Table 13: Does Drawing Make You Release Stress?

Some Pictures Depicted by Free Drawing Group.

Some Pictures Depicted by Guided Drawing Group.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge Jill Hendrickson Lohmeier, a professor of Research and Evaluation in Education at the University of Massachusetts, who supervised and supported every aspect of this experimental research. Additionally, I extend my gratitude to the teachers and volunteers who facilitated the data collection process and provided support throughout the study. I am also grateful to the students who participated in the research, sharing their artwork and insights. Special thanks to my Ph.D. colleagues for their guidance and feedback on this paper.

I also wish to acknowledge the use of Grammarly and ChatGPT for grammar and writing assistance, which helped improve the clarity and readability of this manuscript.

Disclosure Statement

The author declares no conflicts of interest. No financial interest or benefit has arisen from the direct applications of this research.

Funding details

No funding was received for this research.

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