The "Face" of Diabetes: Insight Into Youths' Experiences as Expressed Through Drawing.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this descriptive pilot study was to assess the ability of youth to create a meaningful drawing related to living with type 1 diabetes and explore the benefits of expressing emotion through drawing in future interventional work.

METHODS

Youth aged 4 to 19 years (N = 242) with type I diabetes attending routine follow-up appointments within a pediatric specialty clinic were asked to draw: "If diabetes had a face what would it look like?"

RESULTS

Drawings reflected many emotions and ranged from simple to complex in detail. Drawings reflected multiple experiences of living with diabetes including emotions, tools used for management, and effects of self-care.

CONCLUSIONS

Youth were able to create drawings reflecting their experience of living with diabetes. Youth conveyed a variety of emotions, attitudes, and experiences in drawing the "face" of diabetes. Drawing during clinic visits provides opportunity to explore the unspoken experiences of living with a chronic health condition, which may not be obtained during routine clinical information gathering. Deeper understanding of patient's lived experience may assist providers in therapeutic management.