The usefulness of the Draw-a-Person (DAP) test in the diagnosis and assessment of domestic violence

Projective tests focused on drawings are well-known and frequently used tools in psychological assessments. Among them, the Draw-a-Person (DAP) test has the advantages of higher acceptability, low cost and facilitation of emotional unlocking, which can be significant advantages in traumatic circumstances. Although literature data point out the importance of DAP test in detecting aggressive tendencies and violent behavior, its use in Forensic Medicine is less documented. The aim of this paper was to assess the potential of the DAP test in detecting victims of domestic violence (DV). 37 women, victims of DV, who referred to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and 23 matched controls participated in the study. The mean age of participants was 45.35 and most of them were married. All were administered the DAP test and comparisons between the two groups were subsequently run, on four category of markers potentially associated to DV. The number of identified indicators and / or the number of women displaying them stood at the basis of statistical analysis (t tests, Pearson and Spearman correlations, linear regression). The results indicate that the victims of DV are characterized, compared to the control group, by smaller dimension of drawings (t = 4.228, p < 0.001) (predictive value Rsq. = 0.243, p = 0.001), the association between aggression and uncertainty/ lack of autonomy markers (Spearman rho = 0.368, p = 0.025) and markers specific for repression of sexuality (Spearman rho=0.276, p = 0.022) (predictive value Rsq. = 0.123, p = 0.001). The victims of DV focus much more on drawing the whole person (t = 2.358, p = 0.022), this potentially reflecting a higher preoccupation for bodily integrity. These findings suggest specific DAP indicators to be monitored at victims of DV, and more generally, the potential of the DAP test to be used as an additional tool in the diagnosis and assessment of this condition.