Moderating role of CBT-based art and expressive eclectic nursing interventions on anger and assertiveness: An interventional study

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to examine the effects of eclectic nursing interventions on functional anger and assertiveness in young adults.
METHODS: The cross-sectional interventional pretest–posttest design study sample consisted of 16 undergraduate nursing students who were at risk for anger and had above-average scores on the Trait Anger subscales of the State–Trait Anger Expression Inventory. The intervention was prepared by integrating the basic principles of cognitive behavioral theory with psychodramatic-directed warm-up games and expressionist art interventions. Ten sessions of the eclectic intervention program were implemented, and pretest, posttest, and follow-up data were collected using the Rathus Assertiveness Inventory and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory.
RESULTS: Repeated measurements between the dependent groups after the program revealed a statistically significant difference in total and sub-dimension anger and assertiveness scores (p<0.05). This difference, observed as a result of the intervention program, remained significant in the long term.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that brief art-integrated psychotherapeutic nursing interventions may be helpful in promoting assertiveness and regulating anger in undergraduate students. CBT-based art and expressive eclectic courses may be incorporated into undergraduate curricula for health promotion and may therefore contribute to well-being and protect against burnout.