Investigating the Effect of Engagement in Artistic Activities on Mental Health Considering the Mediating Role of Self-Acceptance
Keywords:
Mental health, artistic activities, self-acceptance.Abstract
Mental health is a critical issue whose positive presence can significantly influence the well-being of society as a whole and contribute to the reduction of numerous social adversities, crimes, and societal problems. Therefore, this issue should be seriously considered, and the factors affecting it should be thoroughly examined. In the present study, based on the assumption that engagement in artistic activities can improve mental health, a model grounded in structural equation modeling was designed to investigate the effect of artistic activities on individuals’ mental health through the mediating role of self-acceptance. Data were collected using a statistical sample of individuals active in the field of art in Tehran through the Goldberg Mental Health Questionnaire, the Unconditional Self-Acceptance Questionnaire, and a researcher-developed questionnaire based on engagement in artistic activities. The findings indicate that engagement in artistic activities, specifically in terms of frequency per week, duration of involvement in artistic activities, level of artistic ability, and diversity of artistic activities, can enhance mental health. In other words, higher levels of these variables are associated with better mental health outcomes. Furthermore, the mediating role of self-acceptance in the proposed model was confirmed, indicating that self-acceptance can be influenced by the four variables related to artistic activities and, in turn, affect mental health.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Raheleh Honari (Author)
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