Assessment anxiety and the use of art-based psychological assessments.

Abstract

This study investigate the consequences of introducing art into a psychological assessment on a participant's level of anxiety. Participants were 85 individuals from a Mid-Western Kansas college and the surrounding community. Participants were given one of three assessments [Draw-A-Person (DAP), Test Anxiety Scale (TAS), Minnesota Multi-Phasic Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)] with a pretest/posttest questionnaire to measure levels of mood, anxiety, and depression. Results indicate that individuals given the DAP have significantly higher changes in their anxiety levels and a significant change in the mood compared to individuals given the TAS or the MMPI-2. No gender differences were found.