H-T-P Pre and Post Tests with Schizophrenic Patients on Antipsychotic Medication
Graduation Date
Summer 1994
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
The H-T-P test was given to a group of 30 schizophrenic patients on a locked psychiatric unit in a county hospital on admittance and discharge. The independent variable was the antipsychotic medication prescribed by the staff psychiatrists to these patients, who had either gone off their medication, were changing medications, or were previously unmedicated. A scoring sheet was developed using cues present in the drawings as indicators of pathology, proven valid in previous studies. Three judges, all trained in art therapy, used these score sheets to rate the 180 drawings. There was shown to be significantly fewer pathological markers in the post H-T-P test than in the pre-test. As a further indicator the three judges were asked to rate each randomly presented paired pre and post house, tree and person drawings of each patient and give their opinion if the drawings were made before or after medication. They were able to identify the pre and post drawings correctly 97% of the time. Improvement on the H-T-P, measured by a reduction of pathological markers, suggests an increased level of overall functioning by the patient. This study is meant to be used as an adjunct to other assessments made in the hospital , showing the art therapist to be a viable member of a milieu team in assessing a patients progress and ability to function at discharge.