Using a computer scoring system to correlate stress response and indicators in the Draw-a-Person-in-the-Rain Test

Abstract

We designed a computer scoring system to examine the correlation between the Draw-a-Person-in-the-Rain (DAPR) Test stress indicators and the Stress Reaction Questionnaire. Participants were 155 undergraduate college students in China. We extracted and calculated the following stress indicators as depicted in the DAPR artworks: number of raindrops, average distance between raindrops, average raindrop length, and area covered by raindrops. Results demonstrate that the level of stress response had significant positive correlations with the number of raindrops, the average distance between raindrops, and the area covered by raindrops. There was no significant correlation between stress response and the average raindrop length. Satisfactory positive correlations between the DAPR stress indicators and stress response indicate that the software scoring system of DAPR is objective and accurate. The use of software in assessing DAPR artworks may solve the problem of interrater reliability and may improve the scientificity of this technique.