Проблеми сучасної психології (Nov 2020)
The Peculiariies of Perception of Family Relations and the Place in the Family by the Child with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder
Abstract
The aim of the article is to highlight the results of the study conducted among children of primary school age with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and the peculiarities of their perception of family relations and their place in the family. Methods. To achieve this goal and implement the tasks we used the projective technique «Family Drawing». The following criteria for evaluation of drawings are chosen: 1) formal structure of drawing; 2) graphic presentation of family members; 3) the process of drawing. The sample consisted of children aged between 6-10 and their parents with a total of 128 people: 64 children and 64 parents. A structured interview was conducted with the parents. Results of the research. It has been established that in the perception of the family situation by children with ADHD and their place in the family, there are such general tendencies as anxiety, feelings of inferiority, depression, negative or timid attitude towards one of the parents, negative attitude towards siblings. The following types of distress are common in families of children with ADHD: quarrels between parents, conflicts between parents (or one of them) and a child with ADHD, between him / her and siblings, ignoring the child, hypersocialization of the child, hypercontrol, etc.The graphic characteristics of the drawing, which have a symbolic meaning for determining the satisfaction / dissatisfaction of the child’s needs, are analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively (with an illustration of examples). It is shown that the drawing reflects two vectors of the child’s experience of his / her place in the family: «acceptance» and «rejection». The child’s feeling of «rejection» in the family was more common in contrast to the «feeling of acceptance» (71.8% and 28.1%, respectively). As a way of processing the «feeling of rejection», children prefer to «drive themselves out» rather than the family, which indicates the deprivation of the need for intimacy, belonging. Conclusion. Family drawings can be used in the diagnosis of children with ADHD to build the following psychocorrectional hypotheses to implement effective psychological care for the child and the family as a whole.
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