212. Effectiveness of digital media art tools in the treatment of patients with depression

Abstract Background Depression is a common mental disorder that impairs emotional regulation, cognitive processing, and daily functioning. Persistent symptoms often reduce treatment adherence and slow the rehabilitation process. In recent years, digital media art tools have been increasingly used in psychological interventions as they integrate visual stimulation, interactive experiences, and emotional expression. These tools offer advantages such as low psychological threat, high engagement, and immediate feedback. However, most existing studies rely on descriptive analyses or small-sample observations, and there is a lack of systematic empirical evidence regarding the quantitative relationship between digital media art engagement and improvement in depressive symptoms. Based on this, the study utilized media art tools to assist in the treatment of patients with depression, evaluated the application effect of this intervention in patients with depression, and aimed to focus on examining its impact on emotional symptoms, emotional regulation ability, and treatment participation. Methods A total of 152 patients diagnosed with depression according to the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision were recruited and randomly assigned to a digital media art intervention group (n = 76) or a standard treatment group (n = 76). Both groups received routine pharmacological treatment and psychoeducation. The intervention group additionally completed an eight-week digital media art program consisting of two 60-minute sessions per week. Activities included digital drawing practice, interactive visual stimulation tasks, emotional imagery presentation, and guided emotional expression. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and emotion-regulation ability was measured with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Attention performance and treatment engagement scores were collected as supplementary indicators. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests, analysis of variance, and correlation analysis with a significance level of p