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Perceptions of diabetes obtained through drawing in childhood and adolescence

Authors Isla Pera P , Palacin Lois M, López Matheo C, Honrubia Pérez M, Rodriguez G, Armengol Camps, Sánchez Villalba, Insa Soria, Rigol Cuadra A, Marre D

Received 12 March 2013

Accepted for publication 30 April 2013

Published 20 June 2013 Volume 2013:7 Pages 595—605

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S45130

Checked for plagiarism Yes

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 2



Pilar Isla Pera,1 María Palacin Lois,2 Carmen López Matheu,1 María Honrubia Pérez,1 Ana María Gómez Rodriguez,3 Eulalia Armengol Camps,4 Carmen Sanchez Villalba,5 Roser Insa Soria,6 Assumpta Rigol Cuadra,1 Diana Marre7

1Nursing School, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 2Facultad Psicologia, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 3Endocrinology Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, Spain; 4Endocrinology Unit, Hospital Vall d'Hebrón, Barcelona, Spain; 5Sanatorium Hospital Foundation The Holy Spirit, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Catalonia, Spain; 6Endocrinology Unit, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain; 7Antropologia Social y Cultural, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Objective: To examine whether drawing is useful in the detection of problems of psychosocial adaptation in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and in improving communication with health professionals.
Methods: We performed an exploratory descriptive study in 199 children and adolescents with T1D aged 4–13 years. The participants were asked to render a drawing on a suggested topic. The variables analyzed were related to the drawing and to clinical and sociodemographic data.
Results: Most participants showed evidence of having a well-balanced personality, but there were also signs of affective or psychosocial difficulties.
Conclusion: Drawing is a useful technique by which to identify children’s and adolescents’ feelings and possible problems in adapting to T1D, as well as to gain information directly from the children themselves. Future studies should delimit the possibilities of this technique in clinical practice in greater detail.

Keywords: type 1 diabetes mellitus, childhood and adolescence, drawing, psychosocial factors

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