Date of Award

12-1-1984

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

This study investigated differences between the drawings of depressed and nondelpressed adults. A procedure for obtaining objective scbres for structural and content variables was developed. Subjects were patients of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona v.rho were high and low scorers on the Beck Depression Inventory. Based on the research of Wadeson (1980) and Wright and McIntyre (1982) the following differences between the drawings of depressed and nondepressed subjects were hypothesized: the drawings of depressed subjects would have less color, more empty space, smaller forms, more missing details, and fewer extra details than those of nondepressed subjects. Based on other research (Exner, 1962), it was hypothesized that the drawings of depressed people would have more shading than those of nondepressed people. Specific contents were hypothesized to be more prevalent in the drawings of depressed subjects and subjects who reported suicidal ideation. It was further hypothesized that a [linear combination of variables would significantly differentiate the drawings of depressed and nondepressed subjects.

The Depressed group left significantlv more empty space in their drawings and included fewer extra details than the Nondepressed group group means was in the pred significant for the variabl The difference between the ULcted direction but was not .

It was concluded that the hypotheses and for conti diagnostic drawings. Sugges elude the exploration of oth criteria for identifying the mere is support for some of nued research in the area of tions for future research inter measures of depression as groups used to analyze drawing variables, and the investigation of the structural variables, Empty Space, Size Missing Details, in the drawings of other clinical groups Color, Extra Details and

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