Effek van projektiewe narratiewe op kinders in kinderhuise se tekeninge van vrees

[摘要] The study investigated the effect of using projective narratives and drawings that depict diminishedfear, on the anxiety levels of a group of children living in children's homes, by means of a mixedmethodology. The sample consisted of 30 middle childhood children (mean age = 9.60 years, SD =1.13) from three children's homes in the Western Cape. Drawings were used to elicit content of fear oranxiety (anxiety evoking drawing/bangmaaktekening) and proposed coping (anxiety lesseningdrawing/bangwegvattekening). After completing the anxiety provoking drawing, participants in theexperimental group were asked to tell a story to other children with a similar fear to lessen/take thatfear away (projective narrative). The Spence Childhood Anxiety Scale (SCAS) was completed aftereach drawing, and drawings evaluated through the use of anxiety scales, to measure changes in anxietylevels according to the concept of triangulation.The categories ghosts, snakes, and people were found to be the most prevalent content of fear fromanxiety provoking drawings, and undifferentiated fears were also common within this population.Control of anxiety from anxiety lessening drawings indicated a definite prevalence of emotion focused(secondary) coping strategies, specifically religious solace. The content of projective narratives echoedthis finding, although proposed solutions were more differentiated. Ownership of projections alsooccurred.The experimental effect was not significant, although mean anxiety levels were considerably lower inthe drawings in comparison with that of the SCAS. Drawings are thus seen as an effective, nonthreateningtechnique to study anxiety phenomena. A comparison of the mean item scores of the SCASsubscales indicated that symptoms of separation anxiety, generalised anxiety disorder, and obsessivecompulsiveanxiety disorder were prevalent among this group of children in children's homes.A clear distinction was found between markers of state- and trait-anxiety through the qualitativeanalysis of the drawings, with anxiety lessening drawings showing definite diminished state-anxiety,although more established markers of trait-anxiety did not necessarily change. There are alsoindications that transference of activated negative emotional stimuli occurred on an unconscious levelbetween the two drawings. Introducing the combination of projective narratives in the interventionstage of the study appeared to facilitate learning or the experience of observed positive affect in anxietylessened drawings.Future research would benefit from including a normative group to establish more clear markers ofstate- and trait-anxiety in drawings, and by the use of a bigger sample to investigate factor loadings ofthe SCAS among children in children's homes. The high prevalence of anxiety symptoms in thispopulation emphasises their status as a vulnerable population, and the need for possible groupintervention – specifically the psycho-education of effective coping strategies for anxiety.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University