Art Therapy With Women With Infertility: A Mixed-Methods Multiple Case Study

Abstract

This multiple case study investigated the impact of art therapy treatment on depressive symptoms in women diagnosed with infertility. A mixed-methods study design was implemented in which 13 participants each engaged in 6 individual art therapy sessions. The Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI–II) was administered before and after the 6 sessions, and each participant engaged in a postintervention interview about her experience in art therapy. The pretest and posttest data from the BDI–II were compared and the qualitative interviews were analyzed to gain further insight into the full experience. Following the intervention, the levels of depression among the participants decreased significantly. Themes that emerged from the qualitative data described in depth participants’ experiences with infertility and with art therapy.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the following individuals for their invaluable contributions to this study: Susan Gitlin, PhD; Mary Roberts, MS, ATR-BC; Arnold Mahesan, MD; Tuesdai Johnson, MS; Susan Garnett, MS; Vanessa Pierce, MS; Alisa Simmons, MS; and Ashley Sweigart, MS.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Eastern Virginia Medical School Women’s and Infant Health Research Program.

Notes on contributors

Kaitlyn Streeter

Kaitlyn Streeter, MS, is a research assistant at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA.

Sarah Deaver

Sarah Deaver, PhD, ATR-BC, is an art therapy educator.