[Juvenile delinquents' loneliness as represented on the Doll Location Test]

This study examined the validity of the indices of Hatta's Doll Location Test (DLT) to represent the interpersonal structure of juvenile delinquents. Japanese juvenile delinquents (N = 215) in detention were asked to fill out the Differential Loneliness Scale and to represent their typical interpersonal relations using the DLT. The results showed that the presence, the order, the distance, and the height of the figures were related to loneliness. However, the direction of placing the figures did not show the expected relationship with loneliness. Furthermore, the relationships between the indices and loneliness were different according to the type of person represented. The results suggest that distance was valid as an index of cohesion, although height could discriminate the intimate group from the others.