The effect of art therapy based on painting therapy on improved social adaptation of young substance abusers

The aimed of this study was to demonstrate the usability of Art Therapy as an alternative treatment method for the substance abuse problem which is a pressing problem in Turkey with the median age of onset of drug abuse gradually decreasing. In this context, Art Therapy based on Painting Therapy aims to ensure healthy living conditions for addicts while improving the interpersonal communication and social adaptation of this population. In this study, Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale (SASS) and a Psychometric Instrument (SCL-90R) were used in order to reveal the changes in the interpersonal adaptation and communication skills, indicators of social adaptation. The population of this study consisted of 60 teenagers and young adults ages between 15 and 24 who were at the time attending to a supervised release program at the Izmir Directorate of Probation due to a crime they have committed related to substance abuse and they were contacted with the permit of the General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses of the Ministry of Justice. Statistical analyses showed that Art Therapy based on Painting Therapy results in positive changes in terms of the subdimensions of Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale; and negative changes in terms of the subdimensions of Psychometric Instrument. Moreover, it was further shown that Art Therapy based on Painting Therapy, as applied to young participants in this study, improves their adaptation level, communication skills with positive influence on their psychological state.