The mediating role of religiosity in the psychological and mental well-being of individuals engaged and not engaged in calligraphy, marbling and painting arts

The aim of this study is to investigates the impact of engaging in visual arts, Islamic calligraphy, marbling, and painting, on individuals' psychological well-being, and to evaluate the mediating role of religiosity in this relationship. Individuals tend to establish a connection either with themselves or with a higher power during their process of making sense of life. Art emerges as a significant tool in establishing this connection and contributes to individuals' expression of emotions and thoughts. Art is generally defined as the externalization of individual feelings, as a product of imagination and expressive ability. Although there is no universally accepted definition of art, it is commonly regarded as a form of expression in which individuals consciously reflect their inner feelings and thoughts. This study was conducted using the cross-sectional relational survey design, which is one of the quantitative research methods. The population of the research consists of adult individuals residing in Turkey, both those who are engaged and not engaged in one of the visual arts such as calligraphy (hat), ebru (paper marbling), or painting. The sample includes 260 participants in total, comprising 145 individuals actively involved in these art forms and 115 individuals who do not engage in them, forming the control group. The participants were administered the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS), and the Religious Commitment Scale (RCS). Data were analyzed using Independent Samples t-Test, One-Way ANOVA, Tukey and Games-Howell Post-Hoc Tests, Pearson Correlation Analysis, Hayes' Process Macro (Model 6), and the Bootstrap Method. The findings revealed that certain demographic variables showed different effects depending on participants' engagement with art. Among those not engaged in art, only income level had a significant effect on mental well-being (p<.05), while other demographic variables did not significantly affect psychological or religious well-being (p>.05). In contrast, for individuals engaged in art, educational level significantly affected mental well-being, income level significantly influenced psychological well-being, and the type of art practiced (calligraphy, ebru, or painting) led to significant differences in religious commitment (p<.05). Gender, age, and duration of engagement in art had no significant effect on any type of well-being (p>.05). Overall, mental well-being, psychological well-being, and religious commitment levels were found to be significantly higher in individuals engaged in art compared to those who were not (p<.05). These results suggest that engaging in art has a positive impact on individuals' mental health and spiritual orientation, highlighting the constructive role of visual arts in enhancing overall well-being.