Formal Elements of Art Products Indicate Aspects of Mental Health

Abstract

Formal elements are often used in art therapy assessment. The assumption is that formal elements are observable aspects of the art product that allow reliable and valid assessment of clients' mental health. Most of the existing art therapy assessment instruments are based on clinical expertise. Therefore, it is not clear to what degree these instruments are restricted to formal elements. Other aspects might also be included, such as clinical expertise of the therapist. This raises the question of whether and how formal elements as observable aspects of the art product are related to clients' mental health. To answer this question, four studies are presented that look at: (1) a meta-theoretical description of formal elements; (2) operationalization of these formal elements so they can be analyzed reliably in clients' art products; (3) establishment of reliable and clinically relevant formal elements; (4) the relationship between formal elements and adult clients' mental health. Results show that the combination of the formal elements "movement," "dynamic," and "contour" are significantly interrelated and related to clients' mental health, i.e., psychopathology, psychological flexibility, experiential avoidance, and adaptability. These findings give insight in the diagnostic value of art products and how they may add to clients' verbal expression and indicate their potential to benefit from therapy.

Drawing as a window to emotion with insights from tech-transformed participant images

“…Previous research suggests that the act of drawings can serve as a medium for the disclosure of emotional expressions 17 , 19 , 20 . Drawings encompass a variety of elements such as color, comparison, content, etc.…”

“…Results identified prevalent emotions and fears, with animal-related fears being the most common. One recent study trained raters to evaluate 17 formal elements in artwork, including color, composition, and space 20 . The study found significant correlations between the combination of movement, dynamic, and contour in artwork and clients' mental health.…”

Validity of the Self-Expression and Emotion Regulation in Art Therapy Scale (SERATS)

“…In literature there are some related but not very suitable outcome measures to monitor and evaluate art therapy. The few available diagnostic scales, such as the Diagnostic Drawing Series [ 19 ] or the Art-Based Intervention self-report questionnaire on the art-making experience [ 16 ], are assessment or observation tools and not specifically suited to measure the effects of art therapy treatment [ 20 ]. Other scales do not fit well the therapy aspect of art therapy or do not fit process of art-making.…”