The Examination of Human Figure in CLP Children

1999 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 10671871
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Surgical dentistry
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: KASUYA Masayo Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Research Associate, 医学部, 助手 (20109325)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SAWAKI Yoshihiko School of Medicine, Assistant professor, 医学部, 講師 (00215906) ; ISONO Sinnsaku School of Medicine, Research Associate, 歯学部, 助手 (10168289) ; ITOU Sizuyo Sapporo Medical University, Research Associate, 助手 (10045453) ; UEDA Minoru School of Medicine, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (00151803)
• Project Period (FY): 1998 – 1999
• Keywords: cleft lip and palate / Human figure drawing test / one-stage push-back operation / 2 stage palatoplasty / emotional sign / development (IQ) / emotional problems / personality

Research Abstract

Sometimes, there is a gap between the information about psychological maturity or emotional problems of children with cleft lip and palate from their family and our impression from themselves. To understand their psychological maturity and emotional problems, and to make clear whether these problems would occur under different clinical course after operation, this study using figure drawing was designed.
Materials and Methods ; Subjects for this study were 107 cleft palate children who were operated with one-stage push-back operation, and 23 cleft palate children who were operated with 2 stage palatoplasy. Their age ranged from 6 to 9 years old. The subjects were instructed to, "Draw a Human figure of someone". No particular restriction was ordered for drawing time length. Drawings collected were examined in according to thirty developing items and thirty emotional items.
Results ; Figure drawing score of developing index which shows a significant correlation to IQ by WISC and Stanford Vine was 5.2 (boy) and 4.7 (girl) in push-back group, and 4.4 (boy) and 4.7 (girl) in two-stage group. Most of them were IQ 80-120. In emotional index, 41.3% (boy) and 62.2% (girl) of push-back group, and 36.4% (boy) and 58.3% (girl) of two-stage group were showed two or more items which suggest a bad human relation or an emotional problem. Items of emotional index which showed over 10% in frequency were "big figure", significant asymmetry", "no space between body and arm" and "lack of nose". These were no relations between two treatment systems.
Conclusion ; These results using Human figure drawing test suggest that children with cleft palate were rather shy and retiring in their ways, and not good at human relation.