Emotional Connections in the 4 Tree-Drawing Test

Andrea Kövesdi
Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem 1091 Budapest Kálvin Tér 9 . VAT: Hu18060676

Abstract

Our research aims to explore the appearance of the resilience, depression and anxiety of sine morbo adolescents in the 4 Tree-drawing test. Plus, the relationship between these factors and introspective consciousness is also analyzed. Depression became more frequent among children and adolescents over the past deacde. Prevalence of depression in adolescent and adult population is identical (17–20%) that assumes the start of adult depression during the adolescent years. (Szádóczky, 2000, Wittchen et al 1998). Resilience is a personality trait that is connected to adaptation skills and plays an important role as a protective factor in coping with mental disorders including depression. (Kiss et al 2016, Masten 2001). Despite the frequent use of projective tests in clinical psychodiagnostics (Vass, 1996), drawing tests and especially the 4 Tree-drawing test is somehow still neglected. The use of Tree-drawing test in other fields (e.g. education, child protection) would be also promising. Totally 600 adolescents (between 14 and 18 years) participated in this research. CD-Risk (Conors, Davidson, 2003, Járai et al, 2015), 10 item version of resilience questioners, the Self Administrated Psychiatric Scales for Children and Adolescents (Kő et al 2006) and the 4 Tree-drawing test (Stora, 1963) are used. Our results show that higher level of resilience predicts significantly lower rate of anxiety and depression. Drawing weeping willow as the second tree indicates higher level of depression and sorrow. Lack of ground line at the second drawing correlates with the lack of feeling security. Higher is the resilience among those who 1) depicted their first tree without injuries on the trunk and whose 2) “ill tree” is a living one. These results expand the literature of 4 Tree-drawing test by identifying the signs of resilience, depression and anxiety in the drawings.

Presentation