Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Stress Management Through Art-Making, Karina Schwarz

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Stress is a natural and necessary part of everyday existence; the symptoms related to stress are unavoidable and systemic (Frey, 2001). Acute and chronic stress can adversely affect individuals both physically and emotionally. The literature gives evidence that medical school students are not provided with the adequate tools needed to cope with stress. This study was an art-making intervention designed to decrease stress among medical students. There were 24 participants, 19 women and 5 men enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine program at Eastern Virginia Medical School. The participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to measure their levels of …

Art Therapy With Adults With Autism, Kimberly Dennler

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Research regarding art therapy with adults with autism is limited. The objective of this study was to understand the effect of a specific art therapy intervention upon social interaction and communication of the adults with autism. The hypothesis was that by participating in this intervention, the participants’ communication and socialization would increase and their maladaptive behaviors would decrease. Over a series of nine sessions, the five participants from Bittersweet Farms were introduced to basic techniques for working with clay.

Results were based on qualitative analysis of data from staff surveys, through the use of pre and post questionnaires; observations made …

An Investigation Into The Coming-Out Experience For Families Of Homosexuals: Understanding Through Personal Artmaking And Dialogue, Micah Bennett

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

A review of the literature indicated the lack of art therapy research with homosexuals and their families. The need for research into the implications for the use of art processes and materials to assist in the coming-out process of families of self-disclosed homosexuals was established. A qualitative hermeneutic method of research was initially proposed to study this need. Volunteer participants who were parents or adult relatives of self-disclosed homosexuals would participate in an audio-videotaped workshop to include three art-making exercises intended to evoke expressions of the participants’ experiences of the coming-out process. Data would have consisted of the researcher’s written …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of Hearing And Hearing-Impaired Children’S Human Figure Drawings, Chia-Liang Timothy Hu

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to further the research of human figure drawings as useful assessment tools and add to the understanding of children’s human figure drawings from a cross-cultural perspective.

In this quantitative study, 147 human figure drawings made by 59 hearing and 64 hearing-impaired Taiwanese children and 24 hearing-impaired American children were collected. In addition, 50 drawings done by hearing American children were randomly chosen from the children’s drawing database of Eastern Virginia Medical School Graduate Art Therapy Program. Five Formal Elements Art Therapy Scales (FEATS) scales were modified for use with human figure drawings and were …

Second Graders' Favorite Weather Drawings, Ashley L. Sherman

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The Favorite Weather Drawing has been used extensively as an art therapy assessment tool. It has been theorized to contain certain variables that relate to a child’s underlying mood or perception of his or her environment. Since neither the Favorite Weather Drawing nor the similar Favorite Kind of Day Drawing have been researched extensively or standardized with normative populations, there has been a lack of research that could provide a much-needed foundation for such a popular assessment technique. This study explored regional and gender differences in the Favorite Weather Drawing of 2nd grade students as a way to provide groundwork …

Characteristics Of Bipolar Disorder In Adult Favorite Weather Drawings, Carrie L. Elder

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify graphic indicators of Bipolar Disorder in Favorite Weather Drawings. The subjects in this study consisted of 9 individuals diagnosed with a Bipolar Disorder and 16 individuals without a Bipolar Disorder diagnosis. The age range was 22 to 64 years. It was hypothesized that Favorite Weather Drawings rendered by individuals diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder would differ in color, expansiveness, line quality, and weather themes from Favorite Weather Drawings rendered by individuals without a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder. These differences were measured using a Favorite Weather Drawing Checklist and analyzed for resulting patterns.

This …

Social Class And Art Therapy, Heather B. Ring

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Research regarding social class and its effects is limited in mental health services, including art therapy. The purpose of this study was to increase awareness about social class differences and their effects on therapeutic services by exploring how social class impacts adolescents’ attitudes and approach toward artmaking as a form of expression and communication. Two artmaking workshops were conducted with two groups of adolescents from contrasting socioeconomic settings. A sample of 14 volunteers participated. It was hypothesized that adolescents from both groups would use art as an effective and desirable means of personal communication and expression.

Results are based on …

Color And Depression In The Diagnostic Drawing Series, Cara Emily Levitt

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

One of the most interesting and widely held assumptions by clinicians who used projective drawings was that the absence of color may indicate depression. The research about color’s relationship to depression was ambiguous, limited and dated. In this study it was hypothesized that the absence or presence of color in the Feeling Drawing of the Diagnostic Drawing Series [DDS] will have a positive correlation with a diagnosis of Major Depression. To test this hypothesis the colors both in the DDS archives Major Depression group and comparison group were counted and then statistically analyze to determine if specified colors were present …

Heuristic Research Study: Implications For Art Therapy In Smoking Cessation, Sarah Roberts

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the implications for the use of art therapy in smoking cessation, using a heuristic research design. The participant is a 22-year-old female smoker currently enrolled in the graduate art therapy program at Eastern Virginia Medical School. The data in this study consisted of spontaneous art expressions, audio-recordings, and visual and written journal entries throughout smoking cessation. Audio-voice recordings were made during art making and were followed by reflective writings about the art-making experience. Over an 8-week time period the researcher refrained from smoking and relapsed on three occasions. Each period of smoking cessation and relapse was considered …

Art Therapy As A Measure Of Children’S Concept Of Surgery: A Preliminary Study, Emily C. Clark

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Surgery is a strange, and often frightening experience for children. A number of programs have been studied which attempt to prepare children for the surgery experience. Art therapy may be especially suited to help prepare children for surgery because art making is an effective form of communication for children, and can allow them to express their thoughts and fears about surgery. Unfortunately, studies of art therapy preparation programs are rare, and usually take the form of case studies. This research study is the first step in designing an art therapy preparation program for preparing children for surgery.

The purpose of …

Neural Correlates Of Art Therapy As Indicated Through Electroencephalography, Kerry A. Kruk

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Quantitative electroencephalograph (QEEG) reports of 14 healthy women participants engaged in art making in response to two general art therapy directives were generated and compared at Eastern Virginia Medical School. A Cadwell Easy-II 32-channel digital EEG and Physiometrx E-net which contains placements according to the International 10-20 system were used to collect brainwave activity. This study explored the effects of clay sculpting and marker drawing conditions on neural activity in the right and left frontal and parietal cortices.

One aim of the study was to illuminate what Lusebrink (1990) suggested - that different types of media and processes elicit different …

Exploring Visual Journaling In A Graduate Art Therapy Program, Kathryn E. Dunn

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study explored visual journaling in the Graduate Art Therapy Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School, using a Participatory Action Research model. Eight students, from the art therapy class of 2004, and four faculty members volunteered and participated. Two complete cycles of inquiry were completed and changes were implemented within the program based on researcher collaboration with student and faculty stakeholders. Data consisted of questionnaires, magazine collages, and discussion material. Questionnaire and discussion data were analyzed by the researcher using direct question analysis. Themes of the artwork were pulled from stakeholders’ verbal and written comments. Results from the first cycle …

Validation Of The Person Picking An Apple From A Tree Projective Drawing Through Comparative Analysis, Shandra M. Brown

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Through imagination, creativity, development, and research, art therapists are attempting to create more reliable and valid assessments in order to help clients most effectively. Although assessment development is a long and difficult process, advancements are being made through research, such as this study, in order for the field of art therapy to respond to past criticisms and continue to grow as a credible and respectable field.

The researchers of this study anticipated that the results would show a correlation between levels of anxiety with formal elements of the Person Picking an Apple from a Tree Projective Drawing (PPAT), as measured …

Attachment Strategies Of Adolescents In Foster Care: Indicators And Implications, Shannon Leigh Trewartha

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of an art-based assessment to recognize the attachment strategy of adolescents in foster care. The extenuating circumstances of foster care make it imperative to develop a sensitive, accurate, and time-efficient tool. Knowledge of specific attachment strategy can better guide therapeutic interventions. This study examined adolescents’ attachment strategy as measured by the Adolescent Relationship Questionnaire (A-RSQ) in comparison to ratings on the Bird’s Nest Drawing (BND). Fourteen adolescents in foster care participated.

Due to the low number of participants, data was predominantly analyzed descriptively. On the A-RSQ, the sample had lower …

Knitting In Art Therapy: An Exploratory Study, Mollie Irene Howey Tracy

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

While knitting has long been considered a functional craft, there is significant evidence to support knitting as an art form. Current research exploring the artistic, meditative, and therapeutic qualities of knitting was reviewed and findings indicated scarce research on knitting in art therapy. In this phenomenological study, six female knitters were interviewed and the author addressed her personal experience as well. Several themes were identified: the freedom felt when knitting, keeping one’s hands busy, reduction of anxiety, sharing the finished piece with others, a connection to self and to others, and knitting as a bridge into more traditional art therapy …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of Children’S Development As Reflected In Their Artwork: An Investigation Of Children’S Drawings From The African Country Of Benin, Elizabeth Anna Smead

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This research adds to the body of knowledge related to the human figure drawing as a useful tool in assessment and to art therapists’ understanding of children who depict the human figure in cross-cultural settings. This researcher obtained a sample collection of 148 human figure drawings from African children in rural Benin, West Africa to study in comparison to a set of human figure drawings collected under similar conditions in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

In this quantitative study, five of the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scales (FEATS) were modified and used to tally the formal elements of each of the 148 …

An Exploration Of Visual Journaling Techniques With Adults, Susan E. Roberts

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

People have kept journals and diaries since ancient times, writing down daily happenings or their thoughts about things over time. Currently, there is no art therapy research on visual journaling techniques that can be used as a tool in art therapy. The purpose of this study was to explore various visual journaling techniques with adults, in order to make recommendations for their use in art therapy. It was hypothesized that a trial of visual journaling techniques with normal adults would provide valuable information which would assist in the development of recommendations for the use of visual journaling in art therapy. …

Helping Older Adults Adjust To Assisted Living: An Eco-Art Therapy Approach, Lynn M. Franta

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory study was to research the outcomes of an art therapy group using Ecopsychology principles as an aid for older adults adjusting to an assisted living facility. The group was designed to last over a 4-week period with two sessions per week. Outcomes were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales short form as well as through a structured interview format.

The study had six participants total; three men and three women, with ages ranging from 70 to 83 years. Findings were inconclusive as individual scores on the DASS varied widely. Participant report indicated overall …

International Art Therapy Program Development: An Exploratory Cultural Encounter In Ayacucho, Peru, Haley Johnstone

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Humanitarian aid organizations, both domestic and international, provide health care, mental health services, education, and community development for traumatized children worldwide living in regions affected by political violence. Sparse information exists regarding the role of an art therapist within these organizations. The profession of art therapy lacks research specific to the benefits of intervention and program development within the context of an international humanitarian aid team. This thesis reviews the ethnographic research of an art therapy graduate student who explored the opportunities for art therapy within such a team.

Cultural competency was an essential component of the researcher’s success while …

Kinetic Family Drawings By Filipino Americans, Reihnard Ferrera Flores

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Research in the mental health field on Filipino Americans and Filipino- American families is limited. In an attempt to further understand Filipino Americans, this study explores similarities and/or differences between drawings of Filipino Americans and non-Filipino Americans. Subjects consisted of twelve Filipino Americans and sixteen non-Filipino Americans. The Kinetic Family Drawing was utilized to determine graphic differences between drawings of both groups. It was hypothesized that there might be considerable visual differences between drawings by Filipino Americans and by non-Filipino Americans.

The results, however, did not support the hypothesis. When comparing Kinetic Family Drawings of Filipino-American subjects to non-Filipino-American subjects, …

Visual Predictors Of Relapse In The Artwork Of Adult Substance Abusers, Danica Aimeè Vallery

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study hypothesized that five visual predictors of relapse previously found statistically significant by Dickman, Dunn and Wolf (1996) and Williar (2002), in the artwork of adult substance abusers, would again be found statistically significant predictors of relapse, in the artwork of the group identified as a high risk for relapse in Williar’s study. The body of artwork studied included twenty-two previously acquired, studied, and archived drawings (Williar, 2002), created by 22 chemically dependent adults. All subjects completed the assessment of warning signs for relapse (AWARE)(Harris & Miller, 2000) and were grouped as either high or low risk for relapse …

An Art Therapy And Ecopsychology Intervention With A Grieving Child, Carolyn M. Lucas

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

There is a discernable need for research into the use of alternative therapies like art therapy and ecopsychology with grieving children. Art therapy seeks to facilitate an individual’s resolution of personal discord through the use of art media and directives. Ecopsychology relies on the assertion that by connecting individuals to the natural world, an improved consciousness will emerge. A literature review was conducted to examine these theories and their applications to grief treatment in children. Camps, workshops, and institutions regularly employ these therapeutic methods to help children with the grieving process. Art therapists in these settings utilize art activities like …

Neuroscience: Its Relevance To Art Therapy And Art Therapy Education, Patrick Oates

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The development of contemporary neuroscience techniques has provided professionals in mental health fields with insight into the human brain and its functions. Literature searches revealed that there is very little research being conducted or existing literature that discusses the physiological response in the brain to the art therapy process. A more comprehensive understanding of the brain’s response to making art could enhance art therapists’ capacity to provide the most suitable treatment to meet the clients’ needs. This study was designed to explore the significance of neuroscience in art therapy, and art therapy education.

A questionnaire was emailed to 49 program …