KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB) Psychology of Woman Journal 3041-8615 5 Serial Number 17 2024 01 01 Effectiveness of Art Therapy on Emotional Expression and Self-Worth in Women with Depression Effectiveness of Art Therapy on Emotional Expression and Self-Worth in Women with Depression 194 203 10.61838/ EN Journal Article 2023 11 04 <p><strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a structured art therapy program in improving emotional expression and self-worth among women diagnosed with depression.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials: </strong>A randomized controlled trial design was employed with 30 female participants from Hungary, aged 20 to 50, who met DSM-5 criteria for moderate to severe depression. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15), receiving six weekly art therapy sessions of 60–75 minutes each, or a control group (n = 15) with no intervention. Standardized assessment tools measured emotional expression and self-worth at three time points: pretest, posttest, and five-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) to evaluate changes over time and between groups, followed by Bonferroni post-hoc tests. All procedures adhered to ethical guidelines, and informed consent was obtained from all participants.</p> <p><strong>Findings: </strong>Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a statistically significant main effect of time and group for both emotional expression (F(2, 56) = 29.91, p &lt; .001, η² = .51) and self-worth (F(2, 56) = 40.76, p &lt; .001, η² = .58). Interaction effects between time and group were also significant (p &lt; .001), indicating that the experimental group experienced a greater improvement than the control group over time. Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons showed a notable increase in both emotional expression and self-worth scores from pretest to posttest (p &lt; .001), which was maintained at five-month follow-up (p &gt; .05), suggesting durable intervention effects.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results underscore the potential value of art therapy as an effective nonpharmacological intervention for enhancing emotional expression and self-worth in women with depression, with positive outcomes persisting at follow-up. These findings encourage greater implementation of creative therapies in mental health services.</p> https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/psywoman/article/download/3998/6882