Children's family drawings and internalizing problems

The aim of this study was to examine the associations between specific indicators in children's family drawings and their internalizing problems among Two hundred twenty-two Israeli children (M = 9.70). Drawings were coded using Kaplan and Main's (1986) coding system. Indicators reflecting attachment insecurity, such as omitting and adding parts of the figures, adding bizarre marks and lack of femininity, were correlated with internalizing problems. In addition, different associations were found among boys and girls. Among girls, better grounding and centering of the figures, movement, feminine marks and distance from both parents were negatively associated with internalizing problems, while bizarre marks were positively associated. For boys, centering of the figures, sweetness, distance from mother and the addition of strange objects were positively correlated with maladjustment, while completeness of figures and gender differences were correlated negatively. Moreover, our study depicted a moderation of children's gender on the associations between specific indicators and children's internalizing problems. Discerning specific and relatively easily-coded features in children's family drawings may be a useful research and clinical tool to identify internalizing problems.

► We explored the relation between family drawings and internalizing problems.
► Indicators reflecting attachment insecurity were linked with internalizing problems.
► Different associations were found across boys and girls.
► We found moderation by gender on the relation between drawings and internal distress.