Silver, Rawley . Aggression and Depression Assessed Through Art: Using Draw-A-Story to Identify Children and Adolescents at Risk

Adolescence, Winter, 2007

SILVER, Rawley (Ed.). Aggression and Depression Assessed Through Art: Using Draw-A-Story to Identify Children and Adolescents at Risk. New York: Brunner-Routledge, 2005. 226pp. $34.95 (p).

This book provides a technique for identifying children and adolescents who may harm others or themselves, for use not only by school counselors and other concerned professionals but also by teachers, school administrators, and parents. In this volume, Rawley Silver and her colleagues use the Draw-A-Story (DAS) art assessment test to gain access to fantasies and visual evidence of emotions that are difficult to verbalize. Using both quantitative and qualitative research, they present findings of significant differences between aggressive and non-aggressive groups in emotional content and self-images scores. Also included are comparisons of subgroups and individuals across cultures and genders, with analyses of changes as well as consistencies in emotional states. This book provides procedures for administering the test, rating scales for assessing the use of humor, self-images and emotional content, and illustrative case examples.