Materials The Screen for Adult Anxiety Related Disorders (SCAARED) is a 44-item
self-report questionnaire designed for screening anxiety disorders in adulthood. Factors
assessed include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD),
separation anxiety disorder, and somatic/panic/agoraphobia. Items include statements such
as 'I worry about people liking me', 'People tell me that I look nervous', 'I am afraid
to be alone in the house', and 'When I get anxious, I feel dizzy'. Participants indicate
their response on a 3-point scale (0 = not true or hardly true ever, 1 = somewhat true or
sometimes true, 2 = very true or often true). Higher scores indicate a higher likelihood
of anxiety disorder(s).
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State Scale. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State
Scale (STAI-S, Spielberger et al., 1983) is a 20-item self-report questionnaire designed
to assess state anxiety (current anxiety feelings). Items include statements such as 'I
feel calm', 'I feel strained', and 'I am jittery'. Participants indicate their response
on a 4-point scale (1 = not at all, 4 = very much so). Higher scores indicate greater
state anxiety.
Participants are also asked to report on their emotion regulation difficulties as an
individual difference moderator variable. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale -
Short Form (DERS-SF) is an 18-item self-report questionnaire designed for assessing
emotion regulation problems. Items include statements such as 'I care about what I am
feeling', 'When I'm upset, I have difficulty focusing on other things', and 'When I'm
upset, it takes me a long time to feel better'. Participants indicate their response on a
5-point scale (1 = almost never, 5 = almost always).
Cardiac Activity Recording and Data Processing Electrocardiogram (ECG) data was recorded
using Mindware software with a sampling rate of 500 ms. Three electrodes were applied to
the participants: on the distal right collarbone, the lower left rib, and the lower right
rib to acquire the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal.
Experimenters manually mark the beginning and end of each episode in the cardiac data
using Mindware's BioLab software. During the session, markers are placed to indicate the
onset and offset of the pre-drawing period (8 minutes), the drawing session (20 minutes;
guided drawing or controls), and the post-drawing period (8 minutes). During the
pre-drawing and post-drawing periods, participants complete state questionnaires (2-3
minutes) and then remain seated until a total of 8 minutes elapsed.
Procedure
Following informed consent (10 minutes), participants complete questionnaires to capture
demographic (age, race, gender) information and individual differences in anxiety
symptoms and emotion regulation difficulties (SCAARED, DERS-SF). After the
questionnaires, cardiac activity monitors are applied (15 minutes), and participants are
seated to complete state questionnaires and sitting cardiac resting state (8 minutes).
After completion of the pre-drawing activity portion, the experimenter returns to the
observation room and prepares the drawing session to which the participant has been
randomly assigned. Participants are seated in front of a desktop computer. The
experimenter places two pencils, a pencil sharpener, and an 8.5" X 11" blank sketchbook
on the table in front of the participant. They are read the following instructions aloud
and the experimenter leaves the room:
"Next, you're going to watch a video that will walk you through a drawing exercise. You
have a pencil and some paper here to use. I'll leave the room, and you will not be asked
to show your drawing to anyone. The video will explain everything else you need to know.
When I leave the room, press the space bar to begin the video when you are ready. I'll be
back shortly after the video is done playing."
In the guided drawing video, participants are instructed to draw elements of nature from
exemplar photographs (e.g., leaves, twigs). The activity incorporates drawing with
aspects of mindfulness meditation (i.e., being non-judgmental of thoughts and behaviors,
focusing on breathing, and embodiment). In the free drawing group, participants watch a
video with brief instructions and then were asked to draw whatever they would like. In
the basic control group, participants are asked to complete simple paper and pencil
activities (e.g., connect the dots, mazes) on their own.
After completion of the drawing session (20 minutes), participants again complete state
questionnaires and sitting cardiac resting state (8 minutes). ECG electrodes were then
removed (5 minutes), and participants complete closing questionnaires (10 minutes).
Upon closing questionnaires, participants were given a debriefing document explaining the
study's purpose and experimenters answered any questions they had (5 minutes).
Participants spend approximately 90 minutes in the laboratory.
One week after the laboratory visit, participants are sent a link, via email, to their
follow-up questionnaires including SCAARED.