The Impact of Art Based Positive Psychology on Stress Reduction for Working Mothers
Graduation Date
Spring 2016
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
Degree Granting Institution
Notre Dame de Namur University
Program Name
Art Therapy
Dean
Caryl Hodges, EdD
First Reader
Amy Backos, PhD, ATR-BC
Second Reader
Gwen Sanders, PhD, ATR-BC
Abstract
This study looked at the impact of art therapy, combined with positive psychology, on working mothers’ perceptions of their ability to manage stress by using the coping skills they already had developed. It was found that when working mothers identified their strengths in Positive Psychology questionnaires and by creating images of their strengths and personal coping skills, their sense of being able to manage multiple roles and of their own efficacy increased. This was shown in a second round of completed art directives. In these art directives, each of the subjects depicted herself in multiple roles more positively and with less stress.