Doll play aggression in diabetic and non-diabetic children

An illness such as diabetes may have numerous psychological implications, particularly to a child. A young child with diabetes is not likely to comprehend all the ramifications of his illness. He may not understand the importance of regulated diet and exercise, daily insulin injections, and urine testing. Certain facets of the diabetic regimen may merely represent to him frustrating obstacles to his development. It would seem logical that frustrations surrounding his illness could cause feelings of aggression and hostility within a diabetic child. The purpose of the present study was to determine if a small number of diabetic children exhibited greater expressions of aggression during doll play than did an equal number of non-diabetic children. The study was primarily descriptive in nature. The doll play behavior of each diabetic and non-diabetic subject was analyzed for aggression according to a set of previously established criteria. Comparisons were then made between the number of aggressive unites displayed by each diabetic child and that displayed by a non-diabetic child matched for age, sex, general position within the family, and approximate family income. The data revealed no identifiable trends in regard to aggression. The diabetic children in the sample did not exhibit consistently greater or fewer expressions of aggression than did the non-diabetic children in the sample.