Children with epilepsy: assessing state anxiety through drawings and a self-report questionnaire

Background: Children and adolescents with epilepsy are at increased risk for anxiety disorder. The aim of this preliminary study was to examine children and adolescents’ self-report on state anxiety by utilizing drawings and a structured questionnaire. Method: The sample consisted of 30 patients (7 - 13 years) diagnosed with epilepsy. Each participant was asked to complete self-report questionnaire and to draw two drawings: one depicting himself/herself today and one depicting himself/herself before the illness. Results: The mean score of children and adolescents’ state anxiety on the structured questionnaire was moderate, and the administration of the projective Draw-A-Person method added nonverbal approval to this result. Conclusions: The findings indicate that despite potential critiques and limitations of the use of figure drawings as a research tool, future studies can incorporate both art therapy assessments and psychometric measures to address psychosocial aspects of epilepsy in children and adolescent.