Date of Award

Spring 5-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

EVMS School of Health Professions

Program/Concentration

Art Therapy & Counseling

Committee Director

Laura Maloney

Committee Member

Carolyn Hersh

Committee Member

Jennifer Ehlers

Abstract

Research indicates that adolescent girls are prone to partake in pathological eating habits and internalization of the “thin ideal,” which increases their predisposition for developing a negative body image. Negative body image, in turn, increases the risk of developing an eating disorder. This study examined art therapy’s effectiveness in identifying body image concern in a group of pre-adolescent girls. Three girls participated in the single-session art therapy intervention that contained three art tasks related to body image. Two qualitative measures and one qualitative pretest/posttest measures were included to evaluate body image concern and the overall effectiveness of the intervention. Each participant was asked to complete a collage about body image, a figurine made of aluminum foil and plaster cloth, and a mandala, which represented the “whole self.” Research questions asked if art therapy could be a healthy forum for the self-expression of feelings related to body image, if an art therapy intervention could have an impact on body image concern, if the use of art could provide a means of expression existing concerns related to body image, and if there would be any commonalities in the artwork as to determine possible indicators of body image concern or satisfaction. The qualitative measures as well as the pre and posttest measure indicated that the participants’ body image satisfaction increased because of the intervention. Two of the participants included body image-related topics in their artwork, although the developmental level of the participants may have affected their ability to conceptualize the topic. One participant was able to express concern for her appearance through the artwork. The increase in body satisfaction and expression of body image-related topics through the artwork supports the effectiveness of the study.

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