Social peer rejection as reflected in drawings and narratives: To what extent does it reflect actual experience? A pilot study

Social peer rejection (SPR) or social exclusion is a prevalent phenomenon. Based on evidence that drawings may reveal unspoken difficulties, the current pilot study attempted to determine the extent to which the drawings and narratives express the child's actual experience of SPR. The final convenient sample consisted of 21 children and youth between the ages of 9–16 who were asked to draw what SPR is for them and then provide a narrative. Also, a self-report questionnaire that included demographics, previous life events including SPR, and the SPR measure, was administered. The drawings and the narratives were analyzed according to a phenomenological method. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify the number of homogenous subgroups according to pictorial features within the overall sample revealed that the majority of the drawings were figurative, included human figures, hurting victim figure and the peer group who rejects. Association between the main themes in the narratives and drawings was found.