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Estrada Gonzalez V, Meletaki V, Walker M, Payano Sosa J, Stamper A, Srikanchana R, King JL, Scott K, Cardillo ER, Rhodes CS, Christensen AP, Darda KM, Workman CI, Chatterjee A. Art therapy masks reflect emotional changes in military personnel with PTSS. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7192. [PMID: 38531999 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57128-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Among disabling post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are irritability, aggressive behavior, distressing memories and general impaired cognition and negative mood. Art therapy interventions, including mask-making, can potentially alleviate these symptoms. We tested the hypothesis that art conveys emotions and predicted that blinded viewers would be able to perceive changes in theoretically derived emotional profiles expressed in art made by military personnel with PTSS from the onset to the end of therapy. Five service members and veterans exhibiting PTSS were enrolled in an 8-session art therapy protocol, during which they artistically transformed papier-mâché masks at the beginning and end of the protocol. We found that blinded viewers without knowledge of the masks' creation stage (onset or end of therapy) read initial masks as conveying more negative emotions (e.g., angry, upset, and challenged) and later masks as conveying more positive emotions (calm and pleasure). Based on the assessments from the blinded evaluators, we infer the emotional transition experienced by the participants was expressed in the masks. In an exploratory arm of the study, we also found that viewers were better able to empathize with the negative emotions experienced by participants with PTSS when asked to explicitly take their perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Estrada Gonzalez
- Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
| | - V Meletaki
- Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - M Walker
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Bethesda, USA
| | - J Payano Sosa
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Bethesda, USA
- National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, USA
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine Inc., Bethesda, USA
| | - A Stamper
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Bethesda, USA
- National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, USA
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine Inc., Bethesda, USA
| | - R Srikanchana
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Bethesda, USA
| | - J L King
- Department of Art Therapy, George Washington University, Washington, USA
| | - K Scott
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Bethesda, USA
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine Inc., Bethesda, USA
| | - E R Cardillo
- Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | | | - A P Christensen
- Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
- Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
| | - K M Darda
- Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
- Advancement and Research in the Sciences and Arts (ARISA) Foundation, Pune, MH, India
| | - C I Workman
- Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, USA
| | - A Chatterjee
- Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
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