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

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 one quit attempt with its own set of language and art-based data. In the first cessation attempt, language-based data revealed themes of hope, relationships, identity, and health, and themes of shame, change and body image were identified in art-based data. In the second cessation attempt, language-based data produced themes of emptiness, support, and health, and art-based data revealed themes of isolation, hopelessness, and grief/loss. The third cessation attempt yielded themes of anger, guilt, and failure in language based data, and shame and guilt in art-based data. Findings suggest implications for the use of art therapy and the role of the art therapist in smoking cessation treatment including the use of art processes and materials, challenging faulty beliefs and unrealistic expectations, imparting of information about smoking cessation and treatment, shame reduction, and generated questions concerning the use of art therapy in smoking cessation. Also, the use of the heuristic research design in this study was evaluated and proved valuable in art therapy research.

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DOI

10.25777/6h2d-4j11

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