ORCID
0000-0001-5832-6810
Abstract
Hospitalization can influence a child’s psychological well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the emotional well-being of hospitalized children using their own drawings. Sixty hospitalized children between the ages of 4 to 13 were used for this study, and data were collected using the pictures drawn by the children. The content analysis method was used to analyze data. Data analysis showed that hospitalized children generally did not show age-appropriate developmental characteristics at the drawing development stage; hospitalized children in the younger age groups used more colors and drew happier human figures; and older hospitalized children used fewer colors, and the emotions of figures were more negative. Another important finding was the presence of missing limbs in most drawings. This research emphasized the importance of appropriately meeting the psychological and psychosocial support needs of children in the hospital environment.
