The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of art therapy with college athletes transitioning out of sport. The college years are impactful in the emerging adulthood’s identity development, especially for an athlete. An athletic identity may play a role in behaviors, attitudes, and the transition from athlete to non-athlete. In this study, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, the Athletes’ Retirement Decision Inventory, the Emotion and Mood Components of Anxiety Questionnaire, one demographic instrument, and two art therapy interventions were administered to student athletes from a small private liberal arts university who were currently concluding their final athletic season (N=11). Results indicated that anxiety levels were not impacted by art therapy interventions conducted during a one-time group session. The artwork produced by the student athletes displayed underlying themes and addressed a need for deeper exploration in future studies. Recommendations for further research on the use of art therapy with college athletes are also proposed.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of art therapy with college athletes transitioning out of sport. The college years are impactful in the emerging adulthood’s identity development, especially for an athlete. An athletic identity may play a role in behaviors, attitudes, and the transition from athlete to non-athlete. In this study, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, the Athletes’ Retirement Decision Inventory, the Emotion and Mood Components of Anxiety Questionnaire, one demographic instrument, and two art therapy interventions were administered to student athletes from a small private liberal arts university who were currently concluding their final athletic season (N=11). Results indicated that anxiety levels were not impacted by art therapy interventions conducted during a one-time group session. The artwork produced by the student athletes displayed underlying themes and addressed a need for deeper exploration in future studies. Recommendations for further research on the use of art therapy with college athletes are also proposed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Black, Theresa Hart"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Art Therapy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Jennifer Harrison, PsyD, ATR-BC, DAAETS","Nicole Annaloro, MFT"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:04:51Z","subjects":["Art Therapy","College Athletes","Anxiety","Art and Design","Counseling Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/art-therapy-electronic-theses-2015-2021/10","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Jennifer Harrison, PsyD, ATR-BC, DAAETS","Nicole Annaloro, MFT"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Black, Theresa Hart"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Art Therapy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Art Therapy","College Athletes","Anxiety","Art and Design","Counseling Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/art-therapy-electronic-theses-2015-2021/10"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of art therapy with college athletes transitioning out of sport. The college years are impactful in the emerging adulthood’s identity development, especially for an athlete. An athletic identity may play a role in behaviors, attitudes, and the transition from athlete to non-athlete. In this study, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, the Athletes’ Retirement Decision Inventory, the Emotion and Mood Components of Anxiety Questionnaire, one demographic instrument, and two art therapy interventions were administered to student athletes from a small private liberal arts university who were currently concluding their final athletic season (N=11). Results indicated that anxiety levels were not impacted by art therapy interventions conducted during a one-time group session. The artwork produced by the student athletes displayed underlying themes and addressed a need for deeper exploration in future studies. Recommendations for further research on the use of art therapy with college athletes are also proposed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Using art therapy to reduce anxiety in college athletes transitioning out of sport"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Jennifer Harrison, PsyD, ATR-BC, DAAETS","Nicole Annaloro, MFT"],"dc:creator":["Black, Theresa Hart"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of art therapy with college athletes transitioning out of sport. The college years are impactful in the emerging adulthood’s identity development, especially for an athlete. An athletic identity may play a role in behaviors, attitudes, and the transition from athlete to non-athlete. In this study, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, the Athletes’ Retirement Decision Inventory, the Emotion and Mood Components of Anxiety Questionnaire, one demographic instrument, and two art therapy interventions were administered to student athletes from a small private liberal arts university who were currently concluding their final athletic season (N=11). Results indicated that anxiety levels were not impacted by art therapy interventions conducted during a one-time group session. The artwork produced by the student athletes displayed underlying themes and addressed a need for deeper exploration in future studies. Recommendations for further research on the use of art therapy with college athletes are also proposed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/art-therapy-electronic-theses-2015-2021/10"],"dc:subject":["Art Therapy","College Athletes","Anxiety","Art and Design","Counseling Psychology"],"dc:title":["Using art therapy to reduce anxiety in college athletes transitioning out of sport"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Art Therapy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:04:51Z"}