The purpose of this study were to explore usefulness of the Draw-A-Story(DAS) test as an assessment of depression and to observe the DAS test-response characteristics from mothers of developmental disorder children. And also the study wanted to see a ...
The purpose of this study were to explore usefulness of the Draw-A-Story(DAS) test as an assessment of depression and to observe the DAS test-response characteristics from mothers of developmental disorder children. And also the study wanted to see a correlation between the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the DAS, and depression levels between mothers who have children with disorder(different type of disorder) and non-disorder.
The study participants were total of 100 mothers; 50 mothers aged of 30~45 who have non-disorder children and live in the city of Ulsan, and 50 mothers who have developmental disorder children (30 children mentally retarded and 20 autism children). This study have been applied for two months from March 2006 to April.
The study methods were translated verson of the Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI, Lee, 1991), and A type and five point scale of the DAS. DAS has been applied to the participants fist and then BDI.
Assessed data were analyzed by means of crosstabulation and then independent sample t-test in order to verify a correlation between BDI and DAS, compared the means through independent sample t-test to see depression levels of mothers who have children with disorder(different type of disorder) or non-disorder.
The results of this study were as followed:
First, in DAS assessment the scores was higher in normal group than depression group because normal group showed more positive responses than depression group.
Second, mothers who have children with disorder(different type of disorder) or non-disorder had no differences in BDI, however, non-disorder children's mother got kind of higher scores than developmental disorder children's mother.
Third, there was no differences between mothers of mentally retarded and autism.
Based on these results, it can be drawn some conclusions: DAS test is an effective sorting method of depression, is a useful tool as offering detailed information about person's inside and present condition, mothers who have children with developmental disorder have more depressive tendency than mothers who have normal children, and there is no differences among mothers regard type of their children's disorder. In actual clinical place DAS test can be used as an assessment tool, and also it will be more effective to find out clients' mental and detailed information when it is applied with objective inventory.