Psychometric Properties of the Draw a Story (DAS) Test in Depressed and Normal Children

Abstract

Objective: understanding the problems of depressed children is important, as they may express their issues through painting and storytelling, which can provide insight into their excitability and self-image. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Draw a Story test in children with depression and normal ones.Material and methods. The participants of this study included 60 fourth and fifth grade students in Yazd province, who were divided into two groups; depressed and normal. Then, each group was evaluated by drawing a story test (DAS).Results. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the depressed and normal groups in terms of self-image and emotion content, as determined by a two-way analysis of variance. The normal group significantly demonstrated a stronger self-image and emotional state than the depressed group. There was no significant difference between boys and girls in terms of self-image. However, there was a significant difference in their emotional expression, with girls being more adept at expressing their emotions compared to boys. Convergent validity of the DAS was established by correlating it with the DSRS test for self-image and emotion, resulting in correlations of -0.67 and -0.74, respectively. The reliability of the DAS test was assessed using the test-retest method for self-image and emotion, yielding coefficients of 0.82, 0.90, respectively. Additionally, the raters' agreement coefficient was calculated for self-image and emotion, and was 0.68 and 0.82, respectively.Conclusions. The results of this study revealed the reliability and validity of the test (DAS) in the group of depressed and normal children. This test can be used to diagnose children with depression.