Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have further decoded what the artworks of children reveal, particularly among those living in poverty.
Kids’ drawings are often used as a way to gain insights into their home life and familial relationships.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have further decoded what the artworks reveal, particularly in the cases of children living in poverty.
They found that children living in chaotic situations that are marked by crowding, clutter, and a general lack of order were more apt to depict themselves as minimized in relationship to their parents.
Some drew themselves as being significantly smaller than the adults while others placed their representational figure at a greater distance from them.
Sad faces and drooping postures were also observed.
Through the tests performed during the study, the researchers found these elements and characteristics to be largely consistent among children whose interactions with their parents were sporadic, short, and unfocused.
The researchers aren’t placing blame on the caretakers, but rather see the effects as ones resulting from the realities of persistent financial stress.
They also determined that the ideal time for such evaluations is the age of 6.
Children younger than that seldom have enough of a command of drawing tools, and those older have a greater tendency to idealize their situations.
