NCJ Number
186145
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 9 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2000 Pages: 328-336
Editor(s)
Margaret A. Lynch,
David Gough
Date Published
2000
Length
9 pages
Annotation
The authors investigated whether teachers and mental health professionals (MHPs) in England were able to identify drawings produced by maltreated children, at a level greater than chance, when the drawings were presented to them at the same time as drawings created by non-maltreated control children.
Abstract
In the study, 33 MHPs and 10 teachers were shown drawings and were asked if they could identify maltreated children's drawings. It was hypothesized both MHPs and teachers would be more successful in identifying maltreated children's kinetic family drawings (KFDs) than favorite kind of day drawings (FKDs). When given a 1:3 choice, MHPs were able to identify maltreated children's drawings from either the FKD or the KFD. However, when faced with an open choice, MHPs falsely identified maltreated children's drawings significantly more than expected in the FKD technique. With respect to the KFD technique, MHP identification of maltreated children's drawings was not significantly greater than chance. When given a 1:3 choice, teachers were able to identify maltreated children's drawings in the KFD technique but not in the FKD technique. In the open choice scenario, just like MHPs, teachers falsely identified maltreated children's drawings significantly more than expected in the FKD technique. Teacher identification of maltreated children's drawings was not significantly greater than chance in the KFD technique. Overall, results pointed to the KFD as a more reliable drawing technique but only when it was known maltreatment was definitely present. It was determined in a situation with no a priori knowledge the KFD should not be used to identify child maltreatment. 24 references and 3 tables