Perceptions of diabetes obtained through drawing in childhood and adolescence

Abstract

Pilar Isla Pera,1 María Palacin Lois,2 Carmen López Matheu,1 María Honrubia Pérez,1 Ana María Gómez Rodriguez,3 Eulalia Armengol Camps,4 Carmen Sanchez Villalba,5 Roser Insa Soria,6 Assumpta Rigol Cuadra,1 Diana Marre71Nursing School, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 2Facultad Psicologia, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 3Endocrinology Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, Spain; 4Endocrinology Unit, Hospital Vall d'Hebrón, Barcelona, Spain; 5Sanatorium Hospital Foundation The Holy Spirit, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Catalonia, Spain; 6Endocrinology Unit, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain; 7Antropologia Social y Cultural, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainObjective: To examine whether drawing is useful in the detection of problems of psychosocial adaptation in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and in improving communication with health professionals.Methods: We performed an exploratory descriptive study in 199 children and adolescents with T1D aged 4–13 years. The participants were asked to render a drawing on a suggested topic. The variables analyzed were related to the drawing and to clinical and sociodemographic data.Results: Most participants showed evidence of having a well-balanced personality, but there were also signs of affective or psychosocial difficulties.Conclusion: Drawing is a useful technique by which to identify children’s and adolescents’ feelings and possible problems in adapting to T1D, as well as to gain information directly from the children themselves. Future studies should delimit the possibilities of this technique in clinical practice in greater detail.Keywords: type 1 diabetes mellitus, childhood and adolescence, drawing, psychosocial factors