Qualitative Approach in Analyzing Children?s Psychological Problems Through the Use of Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD)

Abstract

Nur Aidah Rashid, Rosmaria Omar, Zolkepeli Haron

Abstract Qualitative approach with a multiple case study design was put forward to explore the psychological problems experienced by postgraduate students and their children based on the children’s drawings. The problems involve depression, stress and anxiety. Both adults and children face difficulty in expressing their feelings and problems. Thus, this study explores the problem through the Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD) approach based on children’s drawings that depict their families being involved in some activities or events. A convenient sampling was used to collected data from three children from two Asian mothers pursuing postgraduate studies. An open-ended interview was conducted on the children and their mothers aimed at an in-depth understanding of the problem situation. Bracketing and member checking procedures were employed in order to produce more pronounced results. Bracketing requires the researcher to go back and forth from the transcripts to the drawings to seek related information referred to. Member checking that was only conducted on the mothers allows them to add, clarify and fill information gaps of what transpired during the interview. The NVivo software was used for collated documents. Meanwhile, KFD rubric was used to further analyse the data. The in-depth qualitative approach exposes children emotional problems, is more than just some internal problems, such as low self-motivation and sadness, but is also the external problems as associated with sexual abuse and occurrence of cursing. Results of the study showed that children understood their mother’s emotional burden and stress. But conversely however, mothers were unable to reach into their children’s voice. Under these circumstances, KFD has the capability to greatly assist children in voicing out such hidden feelings. It is recommended that further studies to be conducted should engage more samples for greater precision and output of more pronounced results.