Drawing trauma: A study of kindergarten children’s art in Palestine during the Gaza war

The study aims to interpret the content of children’s drawings in Palestine during the Gaza war and how they might reflect children’s ongoing psychological and social state. The study involved 25 children from the kindergarten stage in the Al-Rawdah University College Kindergarten in Nablus Governorate in Palestine. The results showed that the children’s drawings were lacking some features such as details, clear lines and visual or subjective direction. This may indicate the psychological and social effects of their ongoing war experience. As for the social aspects of their drawings, the results showed that children mostly drew images indicative of war, like missiles. In terms of the human figure, their drawings were characterized by confusion and lack of clarity. The results also found a clear difference between males and females, with many females drawing war scenes more often than males. The study recommends further work on the impact of war trauma on children and the development of support strategies based on the use of drawing as part of psychological therapy for children.