Anxiety Intervention for University Students in Yunnan: Needs Characteristics and Practical Effects of Painting Therapy Courses

Abstract

Anxiety among university students has become increasingly prevalent; however, research on painting therapy interventions targeting high-anxiety groups in science and engineering majors remains scarce. Notably, high-anxiety students face a dilemma in seeking help: they often fall into a predicament of “the more eagerly seeking help, the harder it is to speak up”—anxiety drives their desire for support, yet it also leads them to avoid seeking help. This contradictory psychology hinders their access to effective support. This study, which focuses on students from universities in Yunnan, aims to explore the anxiety characteristics of this group and their demand for painting therapy courses, verify the intervention effects of the courses, and explore approaches to resolve the avoidance of help-seeking caused by anxiety. A total of 472 valid questionnaires were collected, and combined with a single-group pretest–posttest design, data analysis was conducted via the SCL-90 psychological scale and a self-designed course demand questionnaire. The results revealed that (1) 81.5% of the students in Yunnan universities experienced anxiety of varying degrees and that major had a significant impact on anxiety levels—students in science and engineering majors had significantly higher anxiety levels than did those in other majors did; (2) a significant “help-seeking paradox” existed: there was a significant negative correlation between anxiety frequency and willingness to participate in courses, with the initial willingness of high-anxiety students to participate in courses being only 27%; (3) after intervention with the painting therapy course, which was based on the three modules of “Emotional Parachute”, “Emotional Regulation Toolbox”, and “Social Icebreaker”, the total score of students’ anxiety factors decreased significantly, especially among science and engineering students; and (4) after adopting a low-threshold promotion strategy, the participation rate of high-anxiety students in the course increased from 27% to 44%. These findings indicate that anxiety among university students in Yunnan is prominent, with science and engineering students being a high-risk group. The “help-seeking paradox” significantly restricts high-anxiety students’ access to support. The designed painting therapy course can effectively alleviate anxiety, and the low-threshold promotion strategy provides a feasible path to overcome this paradox, which has important practical significance and promotion value and offers insights for university mental health education.