Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Art psychology'

This research project used a causal comparative design to examine differences between intact groups of graduate art therapy students using art as a response to emotions and sharing the art during group supervision. There is scant research on group art therapy supervision thus in this study the variables of curiosity and psychological mindedness were analyzed. Utilizing art making as a tool to understand emotions in response to working with clients therapeutically provides both an implicit, internal focus on the self in relation to others that is then evaluated in an explicit, external context of group supervision, where these emotions are shared. Forty participants completed response art as well as pre- and post-test inventories of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II, subscales of stretching and embracing, and the Balanced Inventory of Psychological Mindedness, subscales of interest and insight. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum test and Spearmen’s rho correlations. While findings were limited due to the small sample size, nonparametric measures, and confounding variables, findings confirmed that stretching and interest showed significant increases. Students later in their practicum showed an increase in embracing while group size of four or less had greater increases in insight. Insight increased early in the research study and decreased significantly at the end of this present study, suggesting that as students learn they develop a more humble stance of not knowing. Future research would benefit from a qualitative inquiry to identify and understand aspects of creating art in response to clients and sharing it in supervision.

This research is a qualitative study that investigated the experience of art-making in substance abuse recovery from the perspective of existential art therapy. The purpose of this study was to explore and develop a theory about how art therapy may impact individuals in recovery from substance abuse. Six participants who utilized art as part of their recovery were interviewed, and their responses to a questionnaire concerning their use of art making as part of their recovery from substance abuse were recorded. This research used Greening's Four Existential Challenges: Three Responses to Each (1992) as the basis from which to examine the participants' subjective experience of developing creative responses to existential challenges from their use of art in their recovery.

This study employed grounded theory to analyze the data that were collected. The participant responses were coded and six major themes emerged pertaining to the ways in which art aids in long-term recovery: life changes, changes in relationships, being alive, personal freedom, meaning and contribution to their world, and connection vs. isolation. The theme of life changes was broken down into five subthemes: physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual, and changes in the way life is lived. The theme of being alive was broken down into four subthemes: changes in feelings, senses, intuition, and attitude toward living.

The participants' responses to the research questions suggest that they successfully used art as a means by which to transcend creatively the existential challenges that they faced in recovery. The participants also indicated that their making art in recovery led them to embrace creative responses to the challenges of sustaining their recovery. Based upon the data, the emergent theory identifies several ways that art aids in the long-term recovery process. The theory begins to offer an explanation of the ways in which one's making art can support sustained recovery from substance abuse and facilitate significant changes in the way life is lived, including one's relationships, personal freedom, and meaning.

2-Shapes (Stuebe, 2017), an art-based antecedent intervention, was introduced as an intervention to regulate disruptive behaviors in this study. The researcher was interested in discovering whether this art-based antecedent activity could help manage self-regulation in a K3 student during group time. The goal of this art-based antecedent study was to provide a meaningful intervention to a child that supports self-regulation, improves self-awareness, and supports intrapersonal and interpersonal thought processes to manage changing conditions. The results of the study revealed the importance of completing a thorough Functional Behavioral Assessment followed by a Functional Analysis to understand the function of a class of disruptive behaviors exhibited by a K3 child. The interview process prior to any assessments may answer many of the questions researchers have about the function of target behaviors and should be completed thoroughly with a great deal of thought and detail. This study demonstrated the need for addressing these steps in determining an appropriate intervention. Results from a Functional Analysis performed after the data collection process determined that the function of the disruptive behavior was attention and that this intervention, if proven effective, would have been addressing the function of attention and therefore would have been an effective treatment for the identified child.

This paper illustrates the impact of an 8-week art therapy regimen on the perceived self-efficacy of participants seeking dual diagnosis treatment for the Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). It was hypothesized that pre- and post-test results of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults (STAIAD), and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology Self-Report (QIDS-SR) would reflect an increase in perceived self efficacy, and decreases in anxiety and depressive symptoms. The STAIAD and QIDS-SR were included in the study as indicators of well-being. The regimen was designed by the student researcher and focused on identity exploration through the lens of Humanistic theory. The regimen is outlined week-by-week, illustrative case studies and group responses are described, and empirical assessment of the regimen?s efficacy is provided. Discussion focuses on the significance of results obtained and the need for further research. Paired samples testing showed an increase in perceived self-efficacy and decreases in anxious and depressed symptoms, as predicted. Small population size meant that these results were not statistically significant. However, qualitative results indicate that participants found the 8-week regimen helpful. Participants vocalized a belief that art-making provided emotional release through externalization, a tool for self-expression, and a source of pride in Self. Jungian concepts presented also resonated with participants, with some sharing with the group regarding ways in which these concepts related to themselves and provided groundwork and structure for understanding the Self.

A quazi-experimental, one-group, pretest/posttest study was conducted with a group of 25 hospice workers employed by a medium sized county hospice organization in the southeastern United States that was experiencing rapid personnel turn-over. Participants in the study included a doctor, a physician’s assistant, a nurse practitioner, a massage therapist, a grief counselor, a licensed practical nurse, a certified nursing assistant, two clergy, three administrative staff, three social workers, seven volunteers, eight registered nurses and one other. The purpose was to investigate whether attending four 1-hour art therapy sessions could help reduce stress and thereby Burnout. Stamm’s (2010) Professional Quality of Life theory was utilized to frame the study and Stamm’s ProQOL-5 was used as both pretest and posttest. The ProQOL-5 tested three elements of Stamm’s theory which cannot be combined: Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress, and a paired sample t-test were applied to each element. No statistical differences were found between pretest and posttest scores on the ProQOL-5 in the areas of Compassion Satisfaction and Secondary Traumatic Stress. Interestingly, posttest scores on the ProQOL-5 went up instead of down significantly, after participants received four 1-hour sessions of art therapy. No quantitative evidence was found to support the use of art therapy to reduce Burnout and increase Compassion Satisfaction and Secondary Traumatic Stress. There were some minor qualitative data to indicate art therapy was helpful in reducing stress at least temporarily. More investigation needs to be done in order to develop evidence-based interventions to relieve stress and reduce Burnout in hospice/palliative care workers as the field is growing rapidly.

This exploratory single case study assessed the effectiveness of a new body-based art psychotherapy intervention to address trauma and, thereby, promote constructive change in an individual who perpetrated inter-partner violence (IPV). The participant was a single Spanish-speaking 42-year-old heterosexual Mexican immigrant male with a history of psychological trauma. The therapy was conducted over the course of 2 years within an existential framework and addressed the following themes: relationships, childhood trauma and abuse, masculine ideology and IPV, and anger and related feelings. Furthermore, the intervention, which included a breathing practice grounded in Jin Shin Jyutsu (energy work), was implemented for the purpose of fostering the embodiment/internalization of material examined in therapy. Because breathing helps modulate affect, the breathing practice increased the client’s capacity to work through his childhood trauma and enabled him to somatically access feelings, memories, and unconscious material. It also contributed to the client’s development of insight and awareness concerning emotions and deepened his spirituality. Equally important, the intervention included an art therapy process that encouraged the client to externalize difficult feelings that he might otherwise not have been able to articulate. The Formal Elements of Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) detected the client’s depression in his artwork at a critical point in the therapy. Over time, the participant’s artwork showed changes not only in the themes depicted, but in the clarity and fluidity of the images he created. The results of this study suggest that this intervention might be a viable treatment for addressing trauma in men who perpetrate IPV. Furthermore, because this intervention increases self-awareness, self-understanding, and the motivation to change, it could be explored as a treatment for other mental health conditions, including with other populations and in group settings.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a group art therapy intervention on psychological well-being of Korean mothers of children with disabilities. This study employed a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test research design with non-random assignment of participants to either the art therapy intervention group (AG) or the control group (CG). The present study quantitatively examined the effectiveness of the group art therapy intervention using four standardized measurements (Parental Distress sub-scale from Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, & The Multidimensional Scale for Social Support) assessing parenting stress, perceived stress, depression, and perceived social support. In addition, the Draw-a-Person-in-the-Rain (the DAPR) assessment with numerical scoring system was used to assess the mothers’ stress.

A total of 44 participants from multiple regions across Korea were included, and mothers in AG (n = 22) participated in 6 sessions of 100 minutes in length. The results of the statistical analysis showed significant differences between the two groups in parenting stress, perceived stress, and depression with those in the AG reporting a greater decrease in parenting stress, perceived stress, and depression than those in the CG. In terms of perceived social support, no significant difference was found between the AG and the CG. The results of the DAPR-Stress scale showed that stress indicators on the post-drawing assessment decreased significantly compared to the pre-drawing assessment after participating in the art therapy intervention. Thus, the art-based projective drawing assessment (the DAPR) supported the quantitative results of the art therapy intervention on decreasing stress. Overall findings support the effectiveness of the group art therapy intervention in enhancing psychological well-being of Korean mothers of children with disabilities.

Creativity is perhaps the most important factor contributing to human happiness and adaptation, and yet there is little known about initiating and maintaining creative states commonly referred to as flow. In a time of global population expansion, economic uncertainty and political chaos, the challenges we currently face are without precedent. Creativity is implicated in workplace success, healthy psychological functioning, and the maintenance of healthy interpersonal relationships (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Psychologists, medical doctors and researchers are beginning to recognize the healing power of creative flow and understand its ability to advance the field of psychology and improve people’s lives. This research is an investigation into the mind-body connection through a practice of Hatha Yoga and its impact on the creative process. This study purposes to evaluate the efficacy of integrating a practice of Hatha Yoga with positive psychology, mindfulness, and art therapy directives into an intervention to beneficially influence the creative process and increase overall well-being in adults.

This paper presents a qualitative research study that investigated participants’ lived experiences of receiving a Bodymap Protocol (BMP) and whether there was a perceived therapeutic effect, in relationship to the participant’s trauma conditions. The BMP integrates the modalities of focusing and therapeutic art expression, and utilizes the outline of the body as a container.

The BMP was administered to nine adults, each of whom were receiving therapy for trauma at the time of the study. Following the administration of the protocol, semistructured interviews were conducted to explore with each participant’s art work and lived experience of the BMP. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was applied to transcripts of the semistructured interviews and the artwork. NVivo-Pro 11 software was utilized to explore the predominant themes that emerged. The study resulted in positive outcomes, as expressed through participant’s semistructured interviews and artwork, thereby providing a foundation and motivation for continued trauma studies with this protocol.

This study takes place in a Mid-Atlantic public charter school over the course of a semester with eight seventh- and eighth-grade students in a visual art painting class. The author aimed to discover whether the integration of art therapy techniques within her curriculum might increase the self-efficacy students felt towards art-making. The study employed the ethnographic method of action research to allow the researcher to implement the study within regular classroom instruction and routine. This method also allowed more in-depth and cross-sectional analysis by the researcher due to regular exposure and established relationships with the subjects. Four exercises, modeled after commonly-used art therapy exercises, were inserted into the beginning of classroom instruction along with immediate individual reflection. Along with the student artwork, four other bodies of data were analyzed including: field observations, one-on-one interviews, written responses and an initial benchmark survey. Thematic analysis allowed the researcher to identify themes that would gauge levels of student engagement, compare content of the work and recognize student affect. Results from analysis confirmed the hypothesis as evidence revealed an increase in self-efficacious behaviors and attitudes towards art-making for students. This study confirmed adolescent artistic developmental stages as well as developmental tendencies towards gaining and displaying control. These findings correspond to the need for differentiated teaching to adolescent students and the importance of educator awareness and consideration of developmental needs. This study also highlights the possibility of enhancing the student experience when the practice of art education and techniques of art therapy are carefully and intentionally combined. It provides a model of an empathetic approach to curriculum for the purpose of providing a holistic art education.

This study looked at the impact of a weeklong visual art program informed by clinical art therapy on empathy development with two groups of adolescents in their school setting. The study used a mixed-methods approach to uncover any quantitative change in empathy as well as identify emergent themes seen through qualitative data. Quantitative outcomes indicated no change in empathy development as seen through analysis of a survey measure. Qualitative analysis uncovered several key findings seen through observations, participant interviews, and visual art data; most specifically, participants illustrated beginning levels of empathy by way of increased self-awareness and several cognitive functions involved in empathy development.

This mixed method study examined the effectiveness of a school-based program that has been integrating trauma-informed education and art therapy for three decades to treat adolescents who have experienced complex trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and toxic stress. To date, no clinical-effectiveness outcomes research or systematic program evaluation had been conducted at Northern California School (pseudonym). This research included 15 former student participants who attended the program over the past 15 years, as well as 28 current and former staff employed over the past 30 years. Research methods include tenets of effectiveness studies, program evaluation, and narrative analysis. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 195 archival clinical files, questionnaires distributed to former students and staff, and in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The results provide demographic characteristics of each sample; for former student participants, this includes ACE scores describing the prevalence of the 10 major types of childhood trauma, and GSE scores describing present-day level of functioning. Results also provide characteristics of treatment, significant correlates of graduating from the program with a high school diploma, and ratings of process and outcome variables as well as various treatment modalities by former students and staff participants. Dialogical narrative analysis was utilized to analyze qualitative data gathered during the in-depth, semi-structured interviews, and the stories of three former students, four art therapists, and the voice of the researcher are presented in the form of short stories to provide an overview of the experience of art therapy in the voices of former students and staff. This research contributes evidence that art therapy is an impactful and effective component of treatment for adolescents with complex trauma and higher ACE scores, and may create lifelong patterns for these individuals of seeking therapeutic support in times of distress.