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A clinical tool for evaluating emotional well-being: self-drawings of hospitalized children

Khatuna Dolidze1, Emma L Smith, Kate Tchanturia

  • 1Ilia State University, JoAnn Medical Center, Tbilisi, Georgia.

Journal of Pediatric Nursing
|March 28, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Children with congenital heart defects (CHD) express emotional wellbeing through self-drawings. Drawings revealed significant differences between hospitalized and non-hospitalized children, offering insights into their mental state.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Psychology
  • Child Cardiology
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Congenital heart defects (CHD) significantly impact children's lives.
  • Understanding the emotional wellbeing of these children is crucial for holistic care.
  • Surgical interventions for CHD can induce psychological stress.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the expression of emotional wellbeing in children with CHD through self-drawings.
  • To compare self-drawings of hospitalized children with CHD before and after surgery.
  • To assess differences in drawings between hospitalized and non-hospitalized children with CHD.

Main Methods:

  • A sample of 293 children with CHD participated.
  • Children created self-drawings before and after heart surgery (n=168 hospitalized, n=125 non-hospitalized).
  • Drawings were analyzed for characteristics such as size, color usage, and body part omission.

Main Results:

  • Significant differences were observed in self-drawings between hospitalized and non-hospitalized children.
  • Hospitalized children's drawings showed variations in size, color, and omission of body parts compared to non-hospitalized peers.
  • These drawing differences align with interpretations from projective drawing analyses.

Conclusions:

  • Self-drawing evaluation is a valuable tool for assessing children's emotional wellbeing.
  • This method provides a safe and accessible means of communication for children experiencing health challenges.
  • Insights from self-drawings can inform supportive care strategies for pediatric patients with CHD.

Keywords:
Children's drawingsCongenital heart defectsEmotional well-being of surgical childrenHeart surgeryHospitalized childrenProjective drawings

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