Date of Award

Spring 5-2005

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

EVMS School of Health Professions

Program/Concentration

Art Therapy

Committee Director

Kay Stovall

Abstract

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 or absent. In this archival study 87 Feeling Drawings from the DDS archive were analyzed. In this sample 49 drawings were drawn by adults diagnosed with Major Depression (Group 1) and 38 drawings were drawn by adults in a comparison group (Group 2). Twelve colors (black, blue, brown, green, light blue, orange, ochre, peach, red, yellow, yellow-green, and white) were examined individually. A 2(color: presence, absence) X 2(Depression: yes, no) design was implemented for each color. The Feeling Drawings were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Based on the nominal categories, a cross-tabulation was performed to determine the count and corresponding percentages. A Pearson chi-square was used to test for significance and a phi (or Cramer’s V) were used to observe the strength of the relationship. The strongest and most statistically significant relationships were indicated in the colors black, yellow and blue. There was not a statistically significant relationship with the color red. Results supported the assumption that that absence of color may be an indication of depression in Feeling Drawings. Further research is needed to confirm the reliability of this study.

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DOI

10.25777/y9z1-p098

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