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.