Uncovering the Mental World of Children: Attachment Quality, Mental State Talk, and Children’s Drawings

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present study utilized archival data to uncover trends associated with children’s drawings, attachment quality, and mental state talk (MST). Two samples of 5–12-year-old children and their caregivers were recruited: one child sample from a public elementary school (n = 54), and the other from consecutive admissions to a child psychiatric inpatient unit (n = 45). Children completed drawings of family, primary caregiver, and self. Drawings were coded using the Formal Elements (FE) and Content rating scales designed to identify selective content and organizational qualities. Attachment quality and MST were obtained using the Attachment Story Completion Task and Children’s Apperception Test. Consistent with the first hypothesis, attachment quality demonstrated a marginally significant positive relationship with Content scores of inpatient children’s family drawings. Consistent with the second hypothesis, attachment quality demonstrated a significant positive relationship with MST in both samples. Consistent with the third hypothesis, MST demonstrated a significant positive relationship with Content scores of nonpatient children’s caregiver drawings, FE scores of nonpatient children’s family drawings, and both Content and FE scores of inpatient children’s family drawings. Drawings hold promise as tools to access children’s internal working models and mental states. Clinical implications are discussed.