Emotional and Organic Indices Based on Human Figure Drawings by Persons With Traumatic Brain Injury
Graduation Date
Spring 1990
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
Degree Granting Institution
Notre Dame de Namur University
Program Name
Art Therapy
Abstract
To investigate whether the use of the Draw-A-Person Test (DAP) allows clinicians to evaluate the integrity of the central nervous system, 21 traumatically brain injured (TBI) subjects were compared with 21 controls matched on demographic characteristics. Subjects were administered the DAP (Harris, 1963) individually in the presence of the examiner. Assessment information was obtained from the human figure drawings by utilizing the DAP score, and Koppitz' (1964) organic and emotional indexes. Chi-squares were computed comparing the subjects and the controls' scores on each item. On the organic scale, 6 out of 8 items significantly (p < 0.05) differentiated between TBI and Non- TBI subjects. On the emotional scale, 3 out of 7 items significantly (p < 0.05) differentiated between TBI and Non- TBI subjects. When TBIs were grouped into I.Q ranges no significant difference in the number of emotional items was noted, suggesting that the emotional indices reflect the likelihood that all TBI victims regardless of I.Q. experience emotional difficulties, in conjunction with their Injury.