American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Background: Periods of prolonged social restriction can negatively affect emotional well-being and interpersonal connectedness. Activities that combine physical movement, cultural expression, and social interaction may provide a practical way of supporting psychological health when face-to-face participation is limited. This study examined whether participation in a remotely delivered Greek folk-dance intervention could influence self-esteem and situational anxiety among members of cultural associations.

Methods: A total of 147 adults (43 men and 104 women; mean age 49.73 ± 8.14 years) participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 75) or a control group (n = 72). The intervention group attended two 45-minute synchronous folk-dance sessions each week for 12 weeks using the ZOOM platform. The control group maintained their usual activities during the same quarantine period. Before and after the intervention, performance, social, and appearance dimensions of self-esteem were assessed using the State Self-Esteem Scale, while situational anxiety was evaluated with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Form X-1.

Results: Following the 12-week intervention, participants who engaged in the remote dance sessions demonstrated significant improvements in performance self-esteem (t = −7.75, p < 0.001), social self-esteem (t = −5.23, p < 0.001), and appearance self-esteem (t = −5.67, p < 0.001). A significant reduction in situational anxiety was also observed (t = 7.33, p < 0.001). In contrast, participants in the control condition showed unfavorable changes, characterized by lower self-esteem scores and increased anxiety.

Conclusion: Synchronous participation in culturally meaningful folk-dance activities may contribute to improved self-perception and reduced situational anxiety during periods of social isolation. Remote group-based dance may therefore represent a feasible approach for maintaining psychological and social well-being when conventional face-to-face activities are restricted.

Keywords: Greek Folk Dance; Online Group Intervention; Self-Esteem; State Anxiety; Psychological Well-Being; Social Isolation; Virtual Physical Activity; Cultural Participation; COVID-19; Emotional Health.