Die Wirksamkeit und Wirkungsweise der Kunsttherapie in ambulanten Gruppen

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness and functioning of art therapy in outpatient groups. This contained a half standardized interview with a following qualitative content analysis according to Mayring (2010) and the quantitative ascertainment of questionnaires (including SCL-90-R) at two moments. 30 patients who were treated at outpatient art therapy groups of the psychosomatic university hospital Ulm in 2010/11 attended this study. Most of the patients received therapy at psychosomatic day hospital (PTK) of University hospital directly before joining the outpatient art therapy group. The qualitative analysis of the interviews showed an improvement of symptoms for many patients, some reported of progress in communication skills, self-assurance and accomplishment of everyday life tasks. A total of 32 effective factors were gathered in different groupings. The benefit of this art therapy group was rated by most participants with huge or very huge. The active factors of art therapy could be affirmed for this outpatient groups, some characteristics of outpatient art therapy in groups could be shown. In addition there are descriptions of paintings and their meanings for the patients added. The quantitative comparison of questionnaires was meant to explore a possible change of psychological strain of the patients. The comparison of GSI (Global Severity Index), a global value of SCL-90-R, didn’t show a significant change at the analyzed time. Three of the nine scale values of SCL-90-R and one question relating to performance recorded a significant aggravation with small and medium effect sizes. The remaining single questions and scale values showed no significant change. An aggravation of the psychological situation of patients after finishing psychotherapy is known in literature. No aggravation of GSI and only isolated aggravations of items indicate that the patients remained mostly stable after completing PTK.