Comparing the effectiveness of art therapy on depression and locus of control of male and female inmates

Abstract

Ongoing studies have revealed the positive effects of art therapy with prison inmates. The most recent publication presented the effectiveness of art therapy with male and female prisoners [Author. (in press). The effects of art therapy on male and female inmates: Advancing the research base. The Arts in Psychotherapy]; specifically, the results demonstrated significant, positive change with both the male and female prison population in mood and locus of control. However, one interesting trend that seemed to emerge as the study progressed was an apparent difference in the effectiveness and response to the art therapy between the male and female inmate populations. Along with qualitative evaluation, additional statistical calculations were applied to determine if the numbers indicated any significant difference between the men and women in changes of depression and locus of control for those that received art therapy services. The results indicated a trend towards significance in a greater improvement in mood and internal locus of control in female inmates than the male inmates did. This article concludes with a brief discussion on possible reasons for these differences, and with a reevaluation of past theoretical concepts of the advantages of art therapy with prison inmates, contending that not all of these advantages apply to the female inmate population.