Concurrent validity of the Kinetic family drawing assessment as a measure of depression.

Abstract

This study compared with a self-report questionnaire to explore the validity of the projective method for assessing levels of depression in college students. The Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD), rated by the Family Drawing Depression Scale (FDDS), was compared with the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDl-ll) which research has found to be a valid instrument for the assessment of depression. The participants were 102 students at a midwestern state university. Each participant was individually administered the KFD projective assessment and the BDl-ll self-report questionnaire. The KFD drawings were scored according to criteria of the FDDS by three trained raters who were blind to the purpose of the study. The resulting FDDS scores were statistically compared to the BDl-ll scores. A correlation between the results of these two measurements would be a likely indication that both assessments were measuring levels of depression. No significant correlation was found between the assessments. The result of this study indicates the lack of validity of the KFD, measured by the FDDS and correlated with the BDl-ll, as an assessment of levels of depression in college students. This lack of validity may be partially due to the low levels of depression in the students assessed, reflecting FDDS difficulty in detecting milder levels of depression. In addition, both assessments are based on somewhat differing criteria of depression. l.__. This may have impacted the results. Another factor may be the substantial subjective content of the FDDS, resulting in rating difficulty. Future studies may address these and other questions, leading to the development of a valid projective assessment for depression.