Date of Award

Spring 5-2016

Document Type

Master's Project

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

EVMS School of Health Professions

Program/Concentration

Art Therapy and Counseling

Committee Director

Sarah Deaver

Committee Member

Kathleen Decker

Abstract

This randomized controlled trial supplemented existing data from previous studies on the effect of art therapy in conjunction with Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) versus CPT alone on symptoms of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. The 11 veterans recruited in this study were clinically diagnosed with PTSD, and were randomized by time of admission to either the experimental or control condition. Test measures included the PCL-M, BDI-II, to measure symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress and depression, and the PTGI to measure positive psychological growth. The results on the PCL-M and BDI-II supported trends from previous studies suggesting art therapy in combination with CPT was more effective at reducing symptoms of combat-related PTSD compared to CPT alone. The PTGI was administered to a smaller number of participants, thus positive psychological growth was not evident in quantifiable measures. However, additional qualitative measures conducted from semi-structured interviews revealed areas of positive growth in participants randomized to the experimental condition; and content analysis of interview data identified participant intervention preferences for both CPT and art therapy. The addition of art therapy to established evidence-based treatments significantly increased recovery from symptoms associated with PTSD, which suggests that art therapy can clinically inform best practices for the treatment of PTSD.

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