| Abstract [eng] |
Aim of the thesis. To reveal the experience of the art therapy process of relatives whose family member has a mental disability. Research methods. This study involved relatives ≥18 years of age who had a family member ≥18 years of age with a diagnosed mental disability, who have an established level of incapacity for work according to a mental and behavioral disorder. An art therapy intervention was applied. It was chosen to apply a qualitative research strategy, data were collected after conducting a semi- structured interview, analyzing the reflections of the research participants written by the therapist and the drawings made by the participants. Verbal data and notes were analyzed using the method of inductive thematic analysis, and drawings of relatives – using the method of formal elements analysis. Research results. The following 5 themes of the thematic analysis were distinguished: When living next to a person with a mental disability, the prevailing feelings of a relative reveal the mourning process; Personal self-perception is overshadowed by the needs of a relative with a mental disability; The importance of communion and communication emerged in the process of art therapy– it is what can “pull you out of the night”; Embodiment of emotions through art therapy methods and means; Change in the self-perception of relatives in the process of art therapy. The experiences of relatives, that emerged through the thematic analysis, are revealed and integrated with the discovered groups of formal elements of the drawings: horizontal sheet format, full space filling, circle shape, rhythmic, repeating lines, graphic representation, plant motif, image of the eye. Research conclusions. The analysis of the literature showed that relatives who meet the need for help of a family member with a mental disability face physical, emotional, social and financial losses and this worsens their self-perception. Art therapy allows them to focus on themselves, take a temporary break from their worries, feel a sense of respite, and make a meaningful connection with the world outside of care. Empirical research revealed that relatives experience feelings of hopelessness, frustration, anger, guilt and fear when living next to a person with a mental disability. The prevailing feelings of the relatives who participated in the research and the emerging images in the drawings revealed the experienced mourning response to losses related to a family member’s mental illness and caregiving. Involvement in the creative process allowed relatives to step away from the burden of responsibility and experience positive emotions and see themselves and their needs more clearly. The highlighted importance of communion and communication for relatives in the art therapy process became an opportunity to be heard and to hear the other person, to feel appreciated and important, and to create new social connections. The change in the self-perception of relatives in the process of art therapy took place through a change in creative expression through a change in feelings, behavior, personality traits, beliefs, values and motivation to help oneself. |
