The effects of art therapy on male and female inmates: Advancing the research base

Since the summer of 2003, several studies have been conducted to quantify the benefits of art therapy with prison inmates. These studies demonstrated a marked improvement in mood, behavior, and problem-solving [Gussak, D. (2007). The effectiveness of art therapy in reducing depression in prison populations. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 5(4), 444–460; Gussak, D. (2006). The effects of art therapy with prison inmates: A follow-up study. Arts in Psychotherapy, 33, 188–198; Gussak, D. (2004). A pilot research study on the efficacy of art therapy with prison inmates. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 31(4), 245–259]. The results of this study encouraged an ongoing quantitative study to ascertain improvement in depression, locus of control, and behavior in both a men and women's prison population. The Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS), the Beck Depression Inventory-Short Form (BDI-II), and the Adult Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale (ANS) were administered as pre- and post-test assessments. A control group pre-test/post-test design was implemented for this study. Although the results from the FEATS did not yield supportive data, the results of the BDI-II and ANS supported the assumption that art therapy was effective in reducing depression and improving locus of control in the adult male and female inmates. Despite the results of the FEATS, it was concluded that art therapy was effective. This article concludes with a brief discussion of how the research has been instrumental in developing a statewide Florida Arts in Corrections program.