Essay Sample on How Anxiety Disorders Affect Academic Performance

Introduction

The first factual error is when the author claimed Alexander M. Penney was based at Ontario's Lakehead University (Huffington Post, n.d.). The truth is that Alexander Penney is a corresponding author from the City Center Campus of McEwan University where he worked at the Department of Psychology (Penney, Miedema & Mazmanian, 2015). Intelligence. The authors who represented Lakehead University, in this case, include Victoria C. Miedema and Dwight Mazmanian; both work at the university's Department of Psychology.

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The second error is where the author points out that a team led by Alexander Penney conducted the research (Huffington Post, n.d.). On the contrary, the research ethics board of Lakehead University was the one in charge as it approved the study. The research team comprised of primary researchers and seven research assistants. Alexander Penney, in this case, is a corresponding author from another university, so he did not participate in the study. From the original journal, those who participated in the survey include; Stephanie Cottrell, Mathew Nordlund, Dylan Antoniazzi, Alyssa Mervin, Kimberly Ongaro, Sarah Kaukinen, and Amy Killen (Penney et al., 2015). All of them acted on different capacities in data collection, data entry and preparing the study materials.

The author also reports that the study was conducted on 156 high school students (Huffington Post, n.d.). Findings from the original journal indicate that the research was done on 126 undergraduate students. Details of the participants are therefore wrong on two dimensions as the participants are 126 and not 156. The other discrepancy relating to the participants is that they were undergraduate students and not high school students. Therefore in one statement, the press release contained two factual errors.

The other factual error in the press release is the nature of statements that the researchers used in their study. The statements include: "I am always worried about something" and "I am always worrying about something (Huffington Post, n.d.)." The original article reveals that the researchers used a different procedure. The participants were trained on how to fill in questionnaires based on demographic characteristics and at no point do the researchers use statements outlined in the press release. The procedure and statistical analyses used in the study do not contain such hypothesis statements, and neither do the results.

Scientific and Methodological Weaknesses

The generalized findings reported after the research are not realistic across all age groups. The participants of the research were undergraduates where only a few were over 30 years old (Penney et al., 2015. The older generation was not well represented in the study. The misrepresentation of one group is, therefore, one of the methodological weaknesses in the research. Variations in the findings is also another methodological weakness. The study experienced variations of emotional disorder symptoms in relation to the mean score of the study. These discrepancies would, therefore, mean that the accuracy of the research was questionable; hence the findings reported could be misleading both statistically and theoretically.

Part Two: Press Release

The objective of the study was to establish the relationship between anxiety disorders and art therapy. The subject of the study was based on college students as it alludes that anxiety disorders affect academic performance. Findings by National Survey of Counselling Center Directors indicate that students requesting psychological support and counseling had risen from 16% to 44% in a period stretching from 2000 to 2010 (Sandmire, Rankin, Gorham, Eggleston, French & Lodge, 2015). Art-based methods have been used to help the students get rid of anxiety disorders. A research was conducted to determine whether art therapy is the best solution to anxiety disorder as a form of mental illness.

Summary of the Study

The research question for the study was whether art therapy was one of the suitable methods to reduce anxiety. The methodology used in this study involved research conducted on 50 first-year undergraduate students. Of the 50 students, 39 were female and 11 male of ages ranging between 18 and 19 (Sandmire et al., 2015). The students were subjected to art-making sessions that involved clay modeling and free-form painting and control sessions. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) was used to determine the level of anxiety among the students (Sandmire et al., 2015). The study was conducted two weeks to the final exams because it's a period when students are under pressure to perform. The art-making sessions yielded a 7% reduction in stress as compared to the control session. The art-making sessions lasted for 30 minutes so that HRV could be accurate and relevant to the study (Sandmire et al., 2015). Art therapy which involves free expression and high levels of creativity allowed the students to release stress and anxiety through the process. The general conclusion that art therapy possesses art-reducing capabilities and effects regardless of the medium used.

Implications of the Research

The study was able to shed more light on why art-making and painting are one of the activities that parents and teachers administer to children at a very tender age. Scholars have raised questions as to why art-making is one of the activities that children and caregivers agree on be it at school or home. Art-based methods are also used to teach students mainly because it is easy for children to understand. Art-making also improves children's creativity since they are able to express themselves freely without stressing about issues like perfection and order.

Connection With the First Journal

The notable similarity between the two studies was that participants were used in order to answer the research question. The first study was based on 126 undergraduate students while the second one was done on 50 undergraduate students (Sandmire et al., 2015). On the results, both studies verified the authenticity of the research questions; however, they both had limitations. Generalizing the findings was not possible since both studies were conducted on youthful participants which meant that the study did not represent the older generation. The participants in the second study were rewarded with gift cards and extra credit while there was no reward for the 126 undergraduate participants (Penney, Miedema & Mazmanian, 2015). In the first study, it was hypothesized that individuals with high levels of anxiety and worries were quite intelligent. On the other hand, the hypothesis was that a 30-minute art-making session would contribute to a significant decline in anxiety levels (Sandmire et al., 2015). The two studies proved both hypotheses correct as reflected in the results and findings.

Future Directions

The future is bright for these two psychological pieces of research since there is untapped information from the older generation. The older generation would be interesting since their lifestyle is totally different from the first participants. It would be interesting to see what methods would be used on the older generation especially because they have been through it all. Getting results from an older generation would be significant progress in the health sector because medical practitioners would be able to attend to them effectively. Ethical considerations, however, have to be outlined since the older generation would perceive research differently from the youthful participants. Successful study on the older people would, however, help them in making better decisions and thus age gracefully.

References

Huffington Post (n.d.). Are you a worrier? Chances are you're a GENIUS: Neurotic people are more likely to be intelligent and creative

Penney, A., Miedema, V., & Mazmanian, D. (2015). Intelligence and emotional disorders: Is the worrying and ruminating mind a more intelligent mind? Personality and Individual Differences, 74, 90-93. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.10.005

Sandmire, D., Rankin, N., Gorham, S., Eggleston, D., French, C., & Lodge, E. et al. (2015). Psychological and autonomic effects of art making in college-aged students. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 29(5), 561-569. doi: 10.1080/10615806.2015.1076798