Art Therapy · 2004 · 28 citations · 16 references
Social SciencesBehavioral SciencesPsychologyBehavioral DisordersBehavioral HealthDevelopmental PsychologyChild Clinical PsychologyChild PsychotherapyDrawing IntegrationBehavioral Health AssessmentChild Mental Health AssessmentChild Psychological AssessmentClinical InsightDrawing SkillsInsight MeasurementLinear Discriminant AnalysisPsychological Assessment In Children
This study explores how children's drawings, as rated on the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS), are related to their emotional and behavioral health. Participating students (ages 8-16, N=53), attending a therapeutic day school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, drew a picture of a person picking an apple from a tree (PPAT). A discriminant function analysis indicated that ratings on five subscales— Integration, Realism, Problem-Solving, Developmental Level, and Details of Objects and Environment—predicted group membership into impaired vs. nonimpaired thinking (74% of cases correctly classified). This study broadens the use of the FEATS to a child clinical population. Further, results validate the use of children's art forms as a basis for clinical insight and suggest that children's drawings can be a helpful tool for diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation purposes.
16