THE HOUSE-TREE-PERSON TEST: A BROAD RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY STUDY IN BRAZIL

• Grant number: 16/10115-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: December 01, 2016
• End date: November 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Psychological Treatment and Prevention
• Principal Investigator: Leila Salomão de La Plata Cury Tardivo
• Grantee: Leila Salomão de La Plata Cury Tardivo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Antonio Augusto Pinto Junior ; Claudia Aranha Gil ; Helena Rinaldi Rosa ; Hilda Rosa Capelão Avoglia ; Maria Cecilia de Vilhena Moraes ; Marília Martins Vizzotto ; Paula Orchiucci Miura ; Paulo Francisco de Castro

Abstract

This Project aims to revise and update the House-Tree-Person-Test (HTP), a very useful tool in psychological assessment procedures, as shown by many studies. A study of formal and content features of HTP drawings by various age and clinical groups will be conducted. The sample with no history of conduct or psychological issues will include 600 participants, 6 to 80 years old. Special attention will be dedicated to developmental features of the drawings (children, adolescents, adults and aged). Such a broad study has no precedents, nationally or internationally. A study of inter-rater agreement will verify the reliability of the various features assessed. Validation studies will involve 7 clinical groups including 330 participants with various conditions, symptoms or history: (1) domestic violence victims (children and adolescents); (2) children and adolescents with learning disabilities (3) adolescent law offenders (serving socio-educational measures) (4) adolescents with auto mutilation conduct; (5) adults and aged persons with depressive symptoms; (6) adults and aged persons with anxiety symptoms; (7) convicted murderers. The full set of drawings of the 930 participants will be assessed according to previous categories based on literature. Statistical analysis will be performed on the resulting data in order to identify significant differences observed in drawings produced by the various clinical groups and their corresponding control groups. Validation studies will also include comparison of drawings with data from other techniques administered to each clinical group and corresponding control group, such as: CDI (Children Depression Questionnaire); R2 (Intelligence test); BAI (Beck Anxiety Inventory); BDI II (Beck Depression Inventory); GDS 15 (Geriatric Depression Scale), EsAvI - A and B (Impulsivity Assessment Scale A and B); Staxi 2 (Anger Expression Inventory - Trace and State). It is intended that this broad study result in a new HTP manual. Various articles to be submitted to journals of the area will discuss the obtained data. The final aim is to contribute to the Psychodiagnosis field by providing the means for an updated and theoretically based use of this traditional technique in the various contexts that require a profound psychological assessment - thus fostering the technical qualification of the professionals in using expressive techniques. (AU)