Investigating Children’s Ability to Express Internal States through Narratives and Drawings: Two Longitudinal Studies during Pandemic
Giulia Vettori,
Costanza Ruffini,
Martina Andreini,
Ginevra Megli,
Emilia Fabbri,
Irene Labate,
Sara Bianchi,
Chiara Pecini
Affiliations
Giulia Vettori
Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, Building 26 (Psychology Section), 50135 Florence, Italy
Costanza Ruffini
Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, Building 26 (Psychology Section), 50135 Florence, Italy
Martina Andreini
Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, Building 26 (Psychology Section), 50135 Florence, Italy
Ginevra Megli
Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, Building 26 (Psychology Section), 50135 Florence, Italy
Emilia Fabbri
Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, Building 26 (Psychology Section), 50135 Florence, Italy
Irene Labate
Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, Building 26 (Psychology Section), 50135 Florence, Italy
Sara Bianchi
Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, Building 26 (Psychology Section), 50135 Florence, Italy
Chiara Pecini
Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 12 Via di San Salvi, Building 26 (Psychology Section), 50135 Florence, Italy
The COVID-19 pandemic emergency has challenged children’s socio-affective and cognitive development. It is essential to capture the modulation of their emotional experience through ecological and children-friendly tasks, such as written narratives and drawings. This contribution investigates the impact of pandemic experience (2020–2021 waves) on the internal states and emotions of the primary school age children, according to a longitudinal research approach through narratives (study 1 n = 21) and drawing tasks (study 2 n = 117). 138 Italian children were examined during COVID-19 three (study 1) or two waves (study 2). Children’s written narratives were codified on the basis of narrative competence and psychological lexicon. Children’s drawings were codified based on social/emotional, physical, and environmental elements. Results of narrative texts showed a lower psychological lexicon relating to positive emotions and a greater psychological lexicon relating to negative emotions only in the study sample group during the first lockdown compared to the previous and subsequent periods. Children’s drawings of themselves showed a decrease of negative emotions during the third pandemic wave in comparison to the first pandemic wave. Results inform mental health services, school practitioners, and parents about the importance of written narratives and drawings for promoting well-being in the developmental age.