Prevention and Management of Anxiety in Primary School Children Using Art Therapy

The article presents the results of a study on the prevention and management of anxiety in primary school children. It is noted that the most common causes of excessive manifestations of anxiety during this period of life include the educational environment, intrapersonal conflict, parent-child relationship, and the characteristics of the nervous and endocrine systems. Art therapy is one of the effective means of preventing anxiety, as it provides a safe space for self-expression, emotional release, and the processing of internal tension, which helps the child reduce anxiety and develop stable behavioral patterns. An author’s program based on art therapy has been developed to prevent and manage anxiety in primary school students. The study shows that its implementation in a real-world setting has led to the following positive changes: the proportion of children with normal anxiety levels increased by 20%, the proportion of schoolchildren with elevated anxiety levels decreased by 9%, and the scores on key scales of school anxiety decreased by an average of 10%. These results can be used in the professional training of teachers and psychologists working in the general education system.