Human figure drawings as a measure of children's emotional status: critical review for practice
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Theresa Skybo1, Nancy Ryan-Wenger, Ying-Hwa Su
1The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; National Tainan Institute of Nursing, Tainan, Taiwan.
Abstract:
Human figure drawing is a common measurement that is used in practice and research. Drawing is a fun, inexpensive, and easy-to-administer method used to provide school-age children a projective means of expressing attitudes and emotions. As cognition matures, the content of drawing develops. The inclusion of emotional indicators in drawing signifies possible emotional problems. Recently, drawing has been used in countries and cultures other than the United States. Drawing can be implemented in any setting by all health care professionals.
Related Concept Videos
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Humanistic Psychology
This approach...
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Emotional Expression
Universal Facial Expressions
Psychologist Paul Ekman identified seven basic...

