Abstract

CARIOLA, Teresa Corrêa. Human figure drawing in children with bruxism. Bol. psicol [online]. 2006, vol.56, n.124, pp. 37-52. ISSN 0006-5943.

Bruxism is a morbid habit of grinding teeth, which may occur during diurnal and nocturnal periods. It is considered a complex and multifactorial pathology, appearing in both children and adults. This research envisages it as an unconscious manifestation of emotional disturbances. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the personality of bruxers aged between 7 and 12 years and 11 months, using the Drawing of the Human Figure and Emotional Indicators of Koppitz. The drawings of 22 children showed a larger number of emotional indicators and higher scores in the indicators 7 (small figure), 17 (no hands) and 24 (no nose). These indicators reflected with a bigger safety margin this latent emotional difficulty in children of both sexes at this age.

Keywords : Bruxism; Personality assessment; Human Figure Drawing (HFD).

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