Using Pictorial Tests in Assessment of Acute Stress Disorders in Children and Adolescents

The author describes the experience of using two expressive projective techniques J. Buck's HouseTreePerson test and the Family Drawing Test in assessing acute stress disorder in 48 children and adolescents recovering after a fire that had happened in their school in Yakutia in April 2003. There were about one hundred students studying in the school. The fire had begun when children were in classes; twenty two of them died. The research carried out by the author was aimed at investigating children's acute reactions to stress through pictorial tests. The author substantiates the necessity of revealing stress disorders early enough because if a child is suppressing traumatic memories, it can lead to negative psychological consequences in the future that would impede development. Pictorial tests are quite effective in revealing stress disorders, and the author explains the main principles of analysing drawings.