Indicators of depression and self-efficacy in the PPAT drawings of normative adults

•Artistic differences between the PPAT drawings were examined, based on personality traits.•Correlation between high levels of self-efficacy and high levels of problem-solving.•Correlation between high levels of introjective depression and low levels of implied energy.•The PPAT and the DEQ can be used to distinguish between individuals with depression.

The present study sought to examine whether individuals with elevated levels of introjective depression, anaclitic depression, and self-efficacy, artistically express themselves differently. Sixty young adults, between the ages of 20 and 30, were asked to draw a person picking an apple from a tree (PPAT) and respond to the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ). The drawings were analyzed and rated according to the FEATS. Participants were divided into three groups, based on their higher personality traits on the DEQ. Individuals with elevated levels of self-efficacy showed high levels of problem-solving in their PPAT. Also, individuals with elevated levels of introjective depression received low scores on the FEATS scale that could implicate depression. The study offers that the PPAT, in conjunction with the FEATS manual, can be used to reliably distinguish between individuals with high degree of specific features of depression through using the DEQ.