Bibliography: pages 131-140. / Kinetic Family Drawings (KFDs) are Projective drawings which require the drawer to give 'action' to the depicted figures. A number of studies have been conducted following its inception in 1970. (Burns & Kaufman, 1970; 1972). Upon examination of these studies, however, it is evident that those studies pertaining to aspects of family functioning obtained significant results to a greater degree. It was the contention of the present study, that the KFD may be measuring aspects of family functioning. The present study thus incorporated a measure of family functioning, the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) (Epstein, Baldwin & Bishop, 1983), to assess whether KFD depictions were indices of family functioning. The results were obtained through KFDs of 96 individuals who constituted 24 families. These individuals consisted of (n=48) parents and (n=48) adolescents. Due to constraints of research design, there were unequal numbers of males and females i.e. 38 males and 58 females.

ABSTRACT The discriminative ability and interrater reliability of one quantitative method of scoring Kinetic Family Drawings, (KFDJs), was explored, focusing on a little researched population - that of sexually abused versus non-referred Zulu speaking females between 7 and 11 years of age. An additional 20 indicators, suggested by various research to be frequent in the human figure drawings of (Western) sexually abused children, were also evaluated. The KFD's of 28 subjects were obtained. The 14 experimental group subjects were drawn from an organisation which deals extensively with the child survivors and perpetrators of sexual abuse. The 14 control group subjects were drawn from alocal primary school and had no known history of sexual abuse. Results were interpreted empirically. Results suggested that although the scoring system may be reliable, it is sensitive to the training, theoretical stance, etc. of the user. It was also suggested that the indicators used were not, as used by the scorers, able to distinguish between the KFDJs of the control and experimental groups. The relevance of certain of the indicators to South African populations was questioned since they were not scored at all by the scorers. In view of the researcher's perception of shortcomings with this approach, she attempted to describe more fully that which was depicted in the KFD's collected. Finally, several comments on the utility of viewing drawings from social constructivist, deconstructionist and social constructionist understandings as a complement to qualitative and quantitative approaches to the KFD were made. Suggestions as to how the KFD could be fruitfully used were proffered. It was contended that the KFD technique is not suitable for the use of lower level health care workers, that KFD's may have value in therapeutic settings, and that quantitative methods are simply one set of meanings which could be used to (partly) understand KFD's - attending to the child's context and the meanings he/she attributes to the various aspects of the KFD was contended to be important. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.

Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have many devastating impacts, including the growing number of AIDS-orphans left without care. In the study, semi-structured interviews, incomplete sentences and Kinetic family drawings were used to explore the life-experiences and perceptions of AIDS-orphans living in kinship foster care, from a Gestalt perspective. The study revealed that the majority of the AIDS-orphans included were making good contact at the contact boundary and all the respondents were not familiar with the term 'foster care'. The researcher therefore recommended that children are educated about foster care at school, thus possibly increasing the awareness of foster care in South Africa, thus possibly increasing the provision of homes for the vastly growing numbers of AIDS-orphans in our country and perhaps make a difference in society. / Sociology / M. Diac. (Play therapy)

Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have many devastating impacts, including the growing number of AIDS-orphans left without care. In the study, semi-structured interviews, incomplete sentences and Kinetic family drawings were used to explore the life-experiences and perceptions of AIDS-orphans living in kinship foster care, from a Gestalt perspective. The study revealed that the majority of the AIDS-orphans included were making good contact at the contact boundary and all the respondents were not familiar with the term 'foster care'. The researcher therefore recommended that children are educated about foster care at school, thus possibly increasing the awareness of foster care in South Africa, thus possibly increasing the provision of homes for the vastly growing numbers of AIDS-orphans in our country and perhaps make a difference in society. / Sociology / M. Diac. (Play therapy)