Psychological indicators in children's drawings: A study on social and emotional adjustment in Riyadh's elementary students

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the psychological indicators manifested in children's drawings during late childhood and to examine their relationship with psychological and social adjustment. The study reported here was conducted with elementary school students in the Riyadh region. For collecting data and answering the study questions, three main tools were used: the Drawing Analysis Scale, the modified Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS), Teacher Version, and a Social Adjustment Scale developed by the researcher. The study sample consisted of 125 male and female elementary school students from the Riyadh region. The findings revealed that the most prominent psychological indicators in the children's drawings were introversion, followed by feelings of insecurity, anxiety, and withdrawal behaviors. These indicators reflect emotional tension and internal conflict, likely rooted in the child's family or school environment. The results also showed a statistically significant positive correlation between the psychological indicators in the drawings and signs of poor psychological adjustment, with anxiety and introversion being the most strongly associated with reduced emotional balance. Furthermore, a statistically significant negative correlation was found between the psychological indicators and social adjustment. Children whose drawings contained symbols of isolation, threat, repeated erasure, or distortion demonstrated lower levels of social adjustment and appeared to struggle in forming healthy relationships and actively engaging in their school.