Art and Drumming: A Study on Affect, Attachment and Self-Esteem within the Older Adult Population
type: CreativeWork
description: The purpose of this multi-method experimental study was to determine the possible benefits to wellbeing as a result of participating in a drum circle for older adults. Older adults are at risk for a lower sense of wellbeing due to chronic health issues, perceived loss of autonomy, and the loss of social roles in the family and the community. These factors increase the likelihood that older adults will experience depressive symptoms. Standard treatment for depression includes pharmaceutical and verbal approaches, notably CBT; however, nonverbal approaches may be more effective for older adults because they do not depend on episodic memory, which may decline in older adults. Forty-five participants, aged 55 or older, completed the study in its entirety, with 15 participants in each of three groups: two drumming groups and a control group. Intervention group A (IGA) used commercial drums; intervention group B (IGB) painted a symbol of self on a self-made drum, and a control group, which received no intervention. A theoretical framework, including object relations theory, attachment theory, neo-socioanalytic theory, the Creative Connection, and the Expressive Therapy Continuum (ETC), was utilized to guide the intervention. Participants completed assessments and interviews before and after the intervention. It was hypothesized that participating in the drumming intervention would lead to changes in depressive symptoms, as measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), sense of purpose (Purpose in Life test; PIL), attachment style (State Adult Attachment Measure; SAAM), and self-esteem, as measured by Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) Scale 8, which was used to analyze the Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT) drawing. In addition, the IGB was expected to receive more benefits due to the drum symbol serving as a transitional object. Phenomenological research was implemented to further explore and understand the benefits of a drum circle to the older adult …
abstract: The purpose of this multi-method experimental study was to determine the possible benefits to wellbeing as a result of participating in a drum circle for older adults. Older adults are at risk for a lower sense of wellbeing due to chronic health issues, perceived loss of autonomy, and the loss of social roles in the family and the community. These factors increase the likelihood that older adults will experience depressive symptoms. Standard treatment for depression includes pharmaceutical and verbal approaches, notably CBT; however, nonverbal approaches may be more effective for older adults because they do not depend on episodic memory, which may decline in older adults. Forty-five participants, aged 55 or older, completed the study in its entirety, with 15 participants in each of three groups: two drumming groups and a control group. Intervention group A (IGA) used commercial drums; intervention group B (IGB) painted a symbol of self on a self-made drum, and a control group, which received no intervention. A theoretical framework, including object relations theory, attachment theory, neo-socioanalytic theory, the Creative Connection, and the Expressive Therapy Continuum (ETC), was utilized to guide the intervention. Participants completed assessments and interviews before and after the intervention. It was hypothesized that participating in the drumming intervention would lead to changes in depressive symptoms, as measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), sense of purpose (Purpose in Life test; PIL), attachment style (State Adult Attachment Measure; SAAM), and self-esteem, as measured by Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) Scale 8, which was used to analyze the Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT) drawing. In addition, the IGB was expected to receive more benefits due to the drum symbol serving as a transitional object. Phenomenological research was implemented to further explore and understand the benefits of a drum circle to the older adult …
author: Mank, Deanna
keywords: Art Therapy, Creative Connection, Depressive Symptoms, Expresive Arts, Older Adults, Art and Design, Counseling Psychology
date published: 2019-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:05:00Z
provider: Dominican University of California
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Dominican University of California