Children's affiliation toward peers reflected in their picture drawings.

Previous studies have demonstrated that a picture-drawing task can be an indicator of the affiliation children have with their peers. When a child draws himself/herself along with a peer, the distance between them is assumed to represent the extent of the affiliation held by the child toward the peer: the shorter the distance is, the more affiliation the child has. However, some issues remain before the picture-drawing task is established as a way to measure children's affiliation, including the possibility that the instructions might bias the children's responses (Thomas & Gray, 1992), and inconsistency over where to measure in the children's drawings (e.g., Song et al., 2015). In this study, we focused on the above two issues and addressed whether the picture-drawing task can be used for measuring children's affiliation toward peers. We conducted our study in Japanese nursery schools with 3- to 6-year-old children (N = 676), who drew pictures of themselves and a classmate. Teachers rated how much the children had played with the drawn peer. We found that the more a child had an affiliative relationship with a peer, the shorter the distance between the drawn child and peer was when measuring the closest points and the center between the two drawn figures. Our research sheds light on the validity of the picture-drawing task for measuring children's affiliation.

Expression of overadaptation in children through drawing a man as a projective measure: a community sample study.

BACKGROUND: Overadaptation, the behavior of individuals who follow the expectations of others as perfectly as possible, is often observed and related to maladjustment, school refusal, and physical symptoms; however, no method has been proposed yet to assess the overadaptive tendency. This study evaluated the efficacy of the Goodenough Draw-a-Man (DAM) test as a projective measure of overadaptation in children. METHODS: Eighty children (36 boys, 44 girls), aged 6-8 years, were assessed for their ability to draw a man using the DAM test. Class teachers were asked to assess whether each child was overadapting. The total and subscale DAM scores and pass rates were compared between children with a teacher-assessed tendency for overadaptation and control children, separately for girls and boys. RESULTS: The mean total DAM score was significantly higher for girls versus boys for both the overadapting children and controls. For boys, no significant differences on the total and subscale DAM scores were noted between the overadapting boys and controls. Conversely, for girls, total and three subscale DAM scores (Mouth/Nose/Ears, Hair, Fingers) were significantly higher in the overadapting girls versus controls. Moreover, for girls, the DAM pass rates on five items (ratio of head; ears present; position and shape of nose; depiction of hair, not to see the scalp; details of fingers) were higher in the overadapting girls versus controls. CONCLUSIONS: The DAM test could identify the overadaptive tendencies of girls aged 6-8 years.

Children against antibiotics misuse and antimicrobial resistance: assessing effectiveness of storytelling and picture drawing as public engagement approaches.

Background: Interventions delivered in schools have been found to be effective in improving knowledge of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among school-aged children, particularly those in high-income countries, but the evidence is largely lacking in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to design, implement and assess storytelling and picture drawing as engagement approaches for improving knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about antibiotics and AMR among schoolchildren in Ghana. Methods: Two schools with a total population of 375 schoolchildren ages 11-15 years in Tema, a city in Ghana, participated in public engagement interventions involving storytelling in one school and picture drawing in another school. The interventions included eight weeks of engagement led by science teachers and a competition held in each school. For quantitative outcome-based evaluation, some schoolchildren were randomly sampled in each school. Purposive sampling was also used to select some schoolchildren in each school for qualitative outcome-based evaluation. Respondents completed identical knowledge, attitudes and beliefs questionnaires and were interviewed at two time points (before and at most a week) after key interventions to assess changes in antibiotics and AMR knowledge, attitudes and beliefs. Results: Picture drawing had more significant effects (both positive and negative) on schoolchildren's AMR knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, whereas storytelling had a negative effect on children's AMR knowledge and no significant impact on beliefs and attitudes. Conclusions: Our project's findings suggest that public engagement interventions that use picture drawing and storytelling may influence the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of schoolchildren regarding antibiotic misuse and AMR. However, modifications are required to make them more effective. These include making the storytelling effective by turning it into drama or plays.

Drawing and Dialogue: Youth's Experiences With the "Face" of Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this qualitative pilot study was to evaluate drawing, narration, color use, and meaning through discussion to increase insight surrounding youth's lived experience with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: This qualitative study reflects a convenience sample of 20 (female = 12, male = 8) youth aged 8 to 15 years with an established diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. During a nonclinic session, 3 drawings-self-portrait, face of diabetes, and future self-portrait-were created. Interviews were completed with an art therapist or clinic nurse practitioner using a standardized script. RESULTS: All "face" of diabetes drawings depicted images separate from self. The most frequent color noted was gray, due to pencil use. No significant difference in disclosures or dialogue were observed between interviews conducted by the art therapist or nurse practitioner. Emerging themes noted: diabetes is unpredictable and stigmatizing, causes fears, and impacts daily life, yet discussions evidenced overall coping and resilience. CONCLUSIONS: Drawing during clinic visits enhances communication and understanding of youth's lived experience. Findings offer clinical benefit when managing care and support for chronic health conditions.

The "Face" of Diabetes: Insight Into Youths' Experiences as Expressed Through Drawing.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this descriptive pilot study was to assess the ability of youth to create a meaningful drawing related to living with type 1 diabetes and explore the benefits of expressing emotion through drawing in future interventional work. METHODS: Youth aged 4 to 19 years (N = 242) with type I diabetes attending routine follow-up appointments within a pediatric specialty clinic were asked to draw: "If diabetes had a face what would it look like?" RESULTS: Drawings reflected many emotions and ranged from simple to complex in detail. Drawings reflected multiple experiences of living with diabetes including emotions, tools used for management, and effects of self-care. CONCLUSIONS: Youth were able to create drawings reflecting their experience of living with diabetes. Youth conveyed a variety of emotions, attitudes, and experiences in drawing the "face" of diabetes. Drawing during clinic visits provides opportunity to explore the unspoken experiences of living with a chronic health condition, which may not be obtained during routine clinical information gathering. Deeper understanding of patient's lived experience may assist providers in therapeutic management.