Attachment-based classifications of children's family drawings: Psychometric properties and relations with children's adjustment in kindergarten

Investigated an attachment-based theoretical framework and classification s ystem, introduced by Kaplan and Main (1986), for interpreting children's fa mily drawings. This study concentrated on the psychometric properties of th e system and the relation between drawings classified using this system and teacher ratings of classroom social-emotional and behavioral functioning, controlling for child age, ethnic status, intelligence, and fine motor skil ls. This nonclinical sample consisted of 200 kindergarten children of diver se racial and socioeconomic status (SES). Limited support for reliability o f this classification system was obtained. Kappas for overall classificatio ns of drawings (e.g., secure) exceeded. 80 and mean kappa for discrete draw ing features (e.g., figures with smiles) was .82. Coders' endorsement of th e presence of certain discrete drawing features predicted their overall cla ssification at 82.5% accuracy. Drawing classification was related to teache r ratings of classroom functioning independent of child age, sex, race, SES , intelligence, and fine motor skills (with p values for the multivariate e ffects ranging from .043-.001). Results are discussed in terms of the psych ometric properties of this system for classifying children's representation s of family and the limitations of family drawing techniques for young chil dren.