Emporia State McNair Scholars Research Forum

Members of the LGBTQ+ community are at higher risk for experiencing several adverse mental health outcomes, such as psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and suicide (Mental Health America, n.d.). One influencing factor in the problematic mental health of these individuals is lower than average self-esteem, influenced by discrimination, marginalization, and low levels of social support (Taylor, et al., 2020; Mental Health America, n.d.). Art therapy is one avenue that may provide a unique method of coping and expression for queer people, though like other realms of psychology, its effectiveness and usage has been underutilized and understudied with the LGBTQ+ community, a historically underserved population. Several studies have shown the effectiveness of art therapy interventions as a way to improve self-esteem (Ching-Teng et al., 2019; Roghanchi et al., 2013; Franklin, 1992). The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of an art therapy intervention on LGBTQ+ community members’ self-esteem and self perception of their queer identity. This will be measured using the Rosenburg Self-Esteem Scale and other Likert type items in a pretest-posttest single-group design. I hypothesize that participants in the LGBTQ art therapy intervention group will have higher self-esteem scores after the intervention. This information would be helpful for the art therapy community and the LGBTQ community, as well as expand the literature within the psychology field with a widely underrepresented and under-researched population.