A comparison of kinetic family drawing indicators in intact and divorced children

Projective techniques such as drawing tests to detect psychiatric disorders in children have attracted the attention of many psychologists and therapists. This study aimed to compare the drawing indices of Kinetic Family Drawing Test in intact and divorced children.
The sample of this descriptive study consisted of 60 subjects (30 intact boy children and 30 divorced boy children) in the city of Bojnord in April and May 2015. Divorced children were selected purposefully and multi-stage. After studying their files, teacher and principal participation, 30 intact children were all homogenized based on their age, gender, educational level, parent’s educational background and socio-economic level, and living condition. Children's drawings were rated by three trained raters, who were kept intentionally unaware of the participants’ group membership, based on test scoring guidelines. The data were analyzed via two-way Chi-sqaure test using SPSS software version 22.
According to the test results, the 26 signs Kinetic Family Drawing Test, the frequency of 16 symptoms between the two groups was statistically significant (P0.05).
According to the significant difference between the symptoms of mental problems (depression, anxiety, aggression and interpersonal relationships of family members) of the two groups in this test and its high differential power in the diagnosis of mental problems among intact and divorced children, the test can be used to identify and diagnose mental problems of these children in schools and counseling clinics by early identification and timely treatment to prevent children from bad and destructive effect in the future.