Tracing emotional experiences and the well-being during the pandemic through drawings by Spanish children

Child en & Socie y. 2025;39:111–127. | 111 wileyonlinelib a y.com/jou nal/chso Recei ed: 6 Feb ua y 2024 | Accep ed: 26 July 2024 DOI: 10.1111/chso.12897 ORIGINAL ARTICLE T acing emo ional expe iences and he well- being du ing he pandemic h ough d awings by Spanish child en I ánRod íguez- Pascual1 | Naia aBe asa egui- Sancho2 | AmaiaEigu en- Muni is2 | Mai anePicaza- Go o xa egi2 | NoemíSe ano- Díaz3 | Te esaGonzález- Gómez4 | E aPalasí- Luna5 1COIDESO- Uni e si y o Huel a, Huel a, Spain 2Kideon- Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y/Euskal He iko Unibe si a ea, Bilbao, Spain 3Depa men o Didac ics, Uni e si y o Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain 4ESEIS- Uni e si y o Huel a, Huel a, Spain 5Facul y o Social Educa ion and Social Wo k, Ramon Llull Uni e si y, Ba celona, Spain This is an open access a icle unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion-NonComme cial-NoDe i s License, which pe mi s use and dis ibu ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed, he use is non-comme cial and no modi ica ions o adap a ions a e made. © 2024 The Au ho (s). Child en & Socie y published by Na ional Child en's Bu eau and John Wiley & Sons L d. All au ho s a e pa o he esea ch eam o he INFAPOST p ojec (h ps:// in ap os . es/ en/ ), unded by he Spanish Minis y o Science, Inno a ion and Uni e si ies, whose main objec i e is o o e diagnosis and p oposals o in e en ion on he well- being, inequali ies and educa ional needs o he child and adolescen popula ion a e COVID- 19. Co espondence I án Rod íguez- Pascual, Facul y o Social Wo k o he Uni e si y o Huel a (Spain). A enida 3 de ma zo s/n 21071. Huel a, Spain. Email: [email p o ec ed] Funding in o ma ion Minis e io de Ciencia, Inno ación y Uni e sidades MICIU/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033/, G an / Awa d Numbe : REF and PID2020- 119011RB- I00; Funding o open access cha ge: Uni e sidad de Huel a / CBUA Abs ac The changes in emo ions expe ienced du ing he pan- demic and hei e ec s on child en's well- being emain a signi ican issue. This s udy analyses 86 d awings c e- a ed by child en aged 5–13, collec ed in ieldwo k con- duc ed h ough wo kshops ac oss a ious egions o Spain. The main objec i e was o desc ibe how child en po ay hei emo ional changes and he esul ing im- pac on hei li es wi hin he con ex o he pandemic. We employed quali a i e bo om- up logic o code he d awings using CAQDAS. Findings e ealed a disce ni- ble emo ional impac , exp essed mo e explici ly by gi ls, 112 | RODRÍGUEZ- PASCUAL e al. INTRODUCTION Cu en ly, i is challenging o us o e lec on he pas as socie y inc easingly e e ences a e u n o ‘no mali y’. While such discou se is embedded in collec i e hinking, we mus no o e look o dismiss he p o ound socie al consequences o he COVID- 19 pandemic, pa icula ly wi hin he mos ulne able social s a a, such as child en (Be asa egi e al.,2020; Va ela e al.,2023). Globally, ac oss nume ous coun ies, he closu e o schools du ing he pandemic con ined child en o hei homes (Uni ed Na ions Educa ional, Scien i ic and Cul u al O ganiza ion,2020). This con inemen was no ably igid in Spain, en o ced h ough Royal Dec ee 463/2020 (G echyna,2020). The associa ed egula ions p opaga ed a discou se ha could po en ially s ig- ma ize child en, aming hem as po en ial i us ansmi e s and posing a h ea o olde gen- e a ions (Be asa egi e al.,2020; Rod íguez- Pascual,2021). Consequen ly, heal h p o essionals wa ned abou he ad e se physical and emo ional e ec s ha hese measu es could impose on mino s. As a ious s udies examining he epe cussions o he pandemic o child en begin o su ace, conce ns eme ge on mul iple on s. Al hough mos child en ha e expe ienced milde symp oms a he heal h le el, some ha e de eloped se e e disease (To es- Can e o e al.,2022). The e is also heigh ened app ehension abou he po en ial de elopmen o mul isys em in lamma o y synd ome (MIDS) in child en, a a e condi ion associa ed wi h COVID- 19 (A ango e al.,2021). Fu he mo e, he closu e o spo s acili ies and es ic ions on ou doo ac i i ies ha e no ably impac ed physical heal h, con ibu ing o issues such as childhood obesi y esul ing om seden- a y li es yles (Bueno,2021; Fo moso e al.,2023). In andem wi h he impac on physical heal h, he men al well- being o child en has been signi ican ly comp omised, and se e al s udies poin di ec ly o he psychological impac o con- inemen on child en (Amo ós e al.,2022; Cowie & Mye s,2021; Lillo e al.,2022; Res epo e al.,2022; Unice ,2020). Many ha e s uggled wi h eelings o anxie y, ea , sadness and s ess s emming om social isola ion, unce ain y and conce ns o he heal h o hei lo ed ones (Idoiaga, Eigu en, Be asa egi, Picaza, & Dosil,2022). This imposed social isola ion has addi ion- ally hinde ed he de elopmen o social skills due o a lack o in e ac ion wi h pee s (Ca e e al.,2023). A he educa ional le el, he closu e o schools and he shi o online lea ning posed addi- ional challenges o many child en, pa icula ly hose wi h limi ed esou ces who lacked elec- onic de ices o in e ne connec i i y (Ga cía- Gu ié ez e al.,2023; López- Aguado,2020; López e al.,2020; Med ano e al.,2020). This p edicamen was pa icula ly exace ba ed o child en wi h special educa ional needs o disabili ies (Amo im e al.,2020). The pe iod du ing which hese child en we e excluded om he educa ional sys em has di ec ly a ec ed hei academic p og ess, slowing hei lea ning (Espinosa, 2020). Mo eo e , he pandemic has accen ua ed as well as las ing elemen s conce ning he pandemic and he endu ing es ic ions on social in e ac ions, e en beyond he widesp ead lockdowns o 2020. KEYWORDS adolescence, childhood, d awing, pandemic, well- being 10990860, 2025, 1, Downloaded om h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.12897 by Uni e sidad Del Pais Vasco, Wiley Online Lib a y on [18/12/2024]. See he Te ms and Condi ions (h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/ e ms-and-condi ions) on Wiley Online Lib a y o ules o use; OA a icles a e go e ned by he applicable C ea i e Commons License | 113 RODRÍGUEZ- PASCUAL e al. p e- exis ing inequali ies among he mos ulne able child en. Some ha e e en expe ienced nu- i ional challenges due o he absence o school can een se ices (Sa e he Child en,2020). Gi en he p eca ious s a e o child wel a e amid he pandemic, i is impe a i e o con inue in es iga ing he long- e m impac on he childhood expe iences o hese ulne able child en as well as assessing hei agency and abili y o na iga e unce ain ci cums ances. Such e o s a e c ucial o a oid succumbing o he illusion o alse no mali y ha dismisses o e ases he pandemic om collec i e consciousness. Indeed, i emains unclea whe he he COVID- 19 pan- demic will in luence he de elopmen o men al diso de s in mino s (San os e al.,2021). In his ega d, he esul s o such s udies could se e as a diagnos ic ool, guiding he implemen a ion o p og ams and in e en ions aimed a es o ing and sa egua ding child well- being. Mo eo e , his s udy is ele an o wo easons. Fi s , i ep esen s a esea ch exe cise occu - ing a a la e phase o concluding pe iod o he pandemic (o icially decla ed closed by he WHO on May 5, 2023). This empo al posi ioning enables an assessmen o he endu ing emo ional imp in caused by he pandemic and he 2020 con inemen s om he pe spec i e o child en. Second, he s udy is pa icula ly ele an in a socie al con ex ha , a leas ini ially, imposed ex- cep ionally es ic i e con ainmen measu es on he li es o child en in Eu ope. Consequen ly, i is easonable o assume ha hese measu es ha e had a p onounced impac on bo h gi ls and boys. The impo ance o lis ening o he oices o child en in he ace o he pandemic: Pa icipa o y echniques The 1989 Uni ed Na ions Con en ion on he Righ s o he Child, coupled wi h he inclusi e pe spec i e, ma ks a pi o al u ning poin , ecognizing child en as subjec s wi h igh s and he child popula ion as an in eg al pa o he social s uc u e (Howa h e al.,2021; Lansdown,2010; O'Kane, 2008). The e o e, child en should ac i ely pa icipa e in decision- making p og ams wi hin bo h esea ch and policy de elopmen (Ba ke & Welle ,2003; Musc o ,1999). In his con ex , shi ing om adi ional esea ch pa adigms, an inclusi e pe spec i e em- phasizes conduc ing esea ch ‘wi h’ people, as opposed o ‘on’ o ‘ owa ds’ hem. (Gain za e al.,2020; Nind,2017). Thus, when discussing he expe iences and consequences child en ha e aced du ing and a e he pandemic, i is c ucial o conside hem as ac i e pa icipan s in he e- sea ch p ocess a he han me e objec s o in o man s (Pallis a & y Puyal o,2014). Recen wo ks ha e highligh ed he ac i e ole child en migh play h ough hei agency in disco e ing o c e- a ing mechanisms o adap o e ol ing and challenging ci cums ances (Oswell,2021; Wei,2023). Wi hin his amewo k, c ea i e and pa icipa o y me hodologies challenge he powe ela- ions inhe en in adi ional esea ch app oaches (Howa h e al.,2021), a o ding g ea e con ol o e he esea ch agenda and p o iding mo e ime and space o discussing issues o conce n (Be es o d,2016; Co nwall & Jewkes,1995). These me hodologies ac i ely in ol e indi iduals con en ionally seen as objec s o esea ch, ans o ming hem in o co- esea che s. In his ega d, a ious in es iga ions ha e demons a ed ha child en end o a icula e mo e when gi en he oppo uni y o d aw o u ilize suppo ing images o desc ibe hei expe iences. This app oach edi ec s a en ion o elemen s ha migh o he wise emain in he backg ound, un eiling aspec s o a si ua ion ha a e di icul o app oach h ough o al o w i en obse a ions alone (Docke & Pe y,2005; Sch a z & Walke ,1995; Weidel,1995). Pic u es o d awings o e an al e na i e means o exp ession, anscending li e acy ba ie s (Young & Ba e ,2001) and yielding a weal h o in o ma ion in a sho pe iod. This app oach o e s a dis inc and mo e en iching ‘new way o 10990860, 2025, 1, Downloaded om h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.12897 by Uni e sidad Del Pais Vasco, Wiley Online Lib a y on [18/12/2024]. See he Te ms and Condi ions (h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/ e ms-and-condi ions) on Wiley Online Lib a y o ules o use; OA a icles a e go e ned by he applicable C ea i e Commons License 114 | RODRÍGUEZ- PASCUAL e al. elling’ (Fasoli,2003; Ki o a & Emme,2006; Thomson,2009). I se es as a powe ul means o making he in isible isible and p o ides a mo e nuanced unde s anding o expe iences ha may be challenging o a icula e h ough adi ional o ms o communica ion. In his con ex , in e na ional esea ch has ocused on d awing o desc ibe child en's oices and pe spec i es in he a e ma h o he pandemic. Speci ically, a s udy conduc ed in he Basque Au onomous Communi y and Na a a analysed he di e en expe iences o 1046 mino s du ing con inemen . The child en pa icipa ed by c ea ing d awings as pa o a ques ionnai e, exp ess- ing hei sadness and ea ega ding he possibili y o ansmi ing he i us o hei g andpa en s (Idoiaga, Eigu en, Be asa egui, Picaza & Dosil 2022). Simila ly, o he s udies conduc ed in Spain examining child en's d awings du ing con inemen highligh he impo ance child en place on ou doo play and pee in e ac ion (González- Cal o e al.,2022). Addi ionally, hese indings indi- ca e he necessi y o conside ing child en's pe spec i es and emphasize he impo ance o social and inclusi e educa ion, ad oca ing o policies ha ac i ely in ol e child en in decision- making p ocesses (Idoiaga, Eigu en, Be asa egi, & Ozamiz,2022). Simila indings ha e been epo ed wo ldwide. Fo ins ance, Ki by e al.(2023) conclude, based on hei analysis o child en's d awings, ha cu en educa ion sys ems equi e ee alua- ion o be e suppo s uden s in an in eg al and e ec i e manne . Sa kadi e al.(2023) demon- s a ed he e icacy o employing d awings as a echnique o explo ing child en's emo ional s a es, allowing o app op ia e in e en ions. Likewise, he impo ance o cap u ing he oices o mino s o in luence public heal h policies has also been s essed (Thompson e al.,2021), as he implemen ed measu es ha e esul ed in low sel - es eem, nega i e emo ions and eelings o abandonmen among child en and young people (Tishelman e al.,2022; Ve o i e al.,2022). Hence, a ious social sphe es, such as educa ion, poli ics and heal h, mus make conce ed e - o s o p omo e child wel a e. This app oach necessi a es child en's ac i e and genuine pa ic- ipa ion, u ilizing echniques and me hodologies ha b oaden pe spec i es o include di e se iewpoin s and oices (Dominguez- Se ano & Pé ez,2021). This a icle desc ibes an in es iga ion ha , based on he analysis o mul iple child en's d aw- ings collec ed om an ex ensi e sample ac oss a ious egions o Spain, seeks o iden i y he main indica o s o he pandemic's impac on child en's li es. The comp ehensi e scope o he s udy, including he ep esen a ion o he di e se condi ions expe ienced by child en du ing he pandemic, makes i pa icula ly ele an in a socie y ha , especially in he i s wa e, imple- men ed uniquely es ic i e con inemen measu es a ec ing child en's daily li es. I should be added ha conduc ing ieldwo k in 2022 makes his esea ch pa icula ly aluable, o e ing new insigh s in o child en's well- being a a la e phase o he pandemic. METHODOLOGY This quali a i e esea ch, wi h an in e p e a i e and phenomenological app oach, ocuses on he pa icipan 's own expe iences and pe cep ions o ge close o hei eali y. In o he wo ds, he ex- pe iences o he child en who pa icipa e in he s udy cons i u e he main sou ce o knowledge. The s udy is based on an explo a o y analysis o a la ge and di e se sample o n = 86 d awings c ea ed by child en aged 5–13 yea s. O hese, 54 we e c ea ed by gi ls, 26 by boys and 6 d awings could no be a ibu ed o a child o a speci ic gende . These d awings we e collec ed as pa o he ieldwo k conduc ed wi hin he R + D + i INFAPOST p ojec . While o he phases o he p ojec also in ol ed g oup in e iews wi h adolescen s and young adul s, ou ocus in his ex is on an- alysing he so- called isual oices o gi ls and boys (S i ling & y Yamada- Rice,2015), highligh ing 10990860, 2025, 1, Downloaded om h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.12897 by Uni e sidad Del Pais Vasco, Wiley Online Lib a y on [18/12/2024]. See he Te ms and Condi ions (h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/ e ms-and-condi ions) on Wiley Online Lib a y o ules o use; OA a icles a e go e ned by he applicable C ea i e Commons License | 115 RODRÍGUEZ- PASCUAL e al. he emo ional changes ha occu ed du ing hese ea lie de elopmen al s ages, in which d aw- ing se es as a pa icula ly exp essi e medium. This ieldwo k ini ially comp ised se en pa icipa o y wo kshops ca ied ou wi h child en om a ious social backg ounds and geog aphical egions in Spain. These wo kshops we e de- signed o ensu e adequa e ep esen a ion along he u ban– u al spec um and o include chil- d en om economically disad an aged backg ounds, including mig an communi ies. In he inal sampling phase, se e al schools and ins i u ions we e in i ed o nomina e child en who olun ee ed o pa icipa e. All wo kshops ook place be ween Ap il and May 2022, excep o one held in Ba celona in Decembe , wi h he majo i y conduc ed in publicly unded o p i a ely subsidized schools. Du ing hese wo kshops, he child en we e in i ed o exp ess hei eelings abou COVID- 19 h ough d awings, p omp ed by he ques ion, ‘How do you eel when you hink abou he si - ua ion you a e going h ough because o COVID- 19?’ Mos o he child en pa icipa ing in he esea ch we e olde han 8 yea s, so i was no necessa y o p o ide addi ional cla i ica ions o his ques ion. Only in he case o one o he wo kshops, whe e he e we e pa icipan s below his age, we e hey asked o hink abou ‘ hei eelings’, ‘ he hings hey do e e y day’ o ‘ hei mood’ du ing he pandemic as an example. No speci ic ins uc ions we e gi en ega ding he inclusion o ex ual anno a ions in he d awings. Howe e , many child en spon aneously inco po a ed ex as pa o hei illus a ions. In he second pa o he session, child en had he op ion o p o- ide olun a y explana ions o hei d awings, which we e ansc ibed (In some cases, hese ex s we e ansla ed om o he co- o icial languages o he han Spanish, such as Ca alan and Basque.) and included in he analysis. Addi ionally, a leas 28 mo e d awings we e collec ed using he same ques ion du ing a p ojec e en : a pa icipa o y wo kshop o child en held in he con ex o he Eu opean Resea che s' Nigh in Sep embe 2022. In his case, only isual ma e ial was collec ed. The pa icipan cha ac e is ics a e displayed in Table1. TABLE 1 De ailed cha ac e is ics o he pa icipa o y wo kshops o he INFAPOST p ojec . Loca ion Type Age No pa . Gi ls Boys Loca ion Huel a U ban school 9–10 10 7 3 P i a e Educa ional Cen e Las Mesas (Cuenca) Ex acu icula - u al 10–12 10 4 6 Municipal local: child en a isk o exclusion Cádiz U ban school 11–12 7 4 3 Public Educa ional Cen e Sopelana (Bizkaia) U ban school 10–12 7 4 3 Public Educa ional Cen e U e xu (Gipuzkoa) U ban school 12 5 4 1 Public Educa ional Cen e A Co uña U ban school 9–13 7 4 3 Public Educa ional Cen e Ba celona Ex acu icula : u ban 8–10 10 5 5 Socio- educa ional Cen e : child en a isk o social exclusion Huel a Pa icipa o y e en open o a di e se amily audience 5–13 30 23 7Di e se To al 5–13 86 55 31 Sou ce: Au ho s' own. 10990860, 2025, 1, Downloaded om h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.12897 by Uni e sidad Del Pais Vasco, Wiley Online Lib a y on [18/12/2024]. See he Te ms and Condi ions (h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/ e ms-and-condi ions) on Wiley Online Lib a y o ules o use; OA a icles a e go e ned by he applicable C ea i e Commons License 116 | RODRÍGUEZ- PASCUAL e al. The objec i es o he d awing analysis we e wo old: (a) o iden i y signs o emo ional shi s in child en's well- being du ing he COVID- 19 c isis and (b) o analyse he exp essed expe iences o child en du ing and a e he pandemic c isis. Ou analysis ocuses speci ically on he emo ional impac o he pandemic a he han aking a gene al app oach due o he pa icula ly se e e and es ic i e ea ly phases expe ienced by Spanish child en, as discussed in he in oduc ion. This highligh s he impo ance o in es iga ing he emo ional epe cussions o he pandemic. The CAQDAS A las. i so wa e (Ve sion 9) was used o ca ego ize all ecognizable isual and ex ual elemen s in he d awings. The s a ing poin was a isual analysis employing a s ic ly induc i e o bo om- up coding logic, p og essi ely iden i ying single elemen s p esen in he d awings analysed and he accompanying ex ual elemen s un il b oade ca ego ies o analysis eme ged. Se e al analys s esol ed po en ial unce ain ies in he coding wo k, p o iding an in- e coding alida ion c i e ion. Mos o he analysed ma e ial included d awings alluding o he pandemic and small ph ases and ex ual e e ences, all o which we e coded. Th ough his p o- cess, a leas 518 i ems we e iden i ied and agged using 230 codes. E hical aspec s and limi a ions o he esea ch In e ms o e hical conside a ions, all child en pa icipa ed olun a ily and we e p o ided wi h e bal in o ma ion ega ding he esea ch p ocedu e. Addi ionally, pa en al w i en consen was ob ained be o e pa icipa ing in he s udy. Th oughou he esea ch p ocess, child en we e eminded on mul iple occasions ha hey could wi hd aw om he s udy wi hou acing any consequences and hei in o med assen was consis en ly sough o ensu e hei unde s anding and willingness o pa icipa e. The e was also a commi men o sa egua ding child en om any po en ial psychological dis ess o su e ing du ing he ieldwo k, as ag eed upon wi h he pa - icipa ing o ganiza ions. This esea ch ecei ed app o al om he E hics Commi ee o he UPV/ EHU (M10/2021/370). RESULTS Th ough he p og essi e iden i ica ion and coding o a ious isual and ex ual elemen s in he d awings, a gene al imp ession eme ges o wha Spanish child en exp ess (and how hey exp ess i ) ega ding hei emo ional expe iences du ing he pandemic. To desc ibe his ep- esen a ion, we ini ially ou line he gene al e idence ound. Subsequen sec ions will hen de ail he esul s conce ning he emo ional impac o he pandemic e lec ed in child en's ep esen a ions. Rep esen a ions o he pandemic among he Spanish child popula ion Fi s , a consis en ep esen a ion eme ges ac oss he di e se sample encompassing a ious geo- g aphic and con ex ual aspec s. Despi e his di e si y, se e al elemen s a e ecu en . The g aph below illus a es he equency o codes assigned o a ious g aphic and ex ual elemen s in he 86 d awings. Speci ically, elemen s appea ing i e o mo e imes ha e been selec ed o analysis. G aph 1 highligh s he high equency o elemen s di ec ly ela ed o he heal h c isis, no a- bly he i us (depic ed 91 imes) and he mask (38 imes). Addi ionally, ep esen a ions o he 10990860, 2025, 1, Downloaded om h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.12897 by Uni e sidad Del Pais Vasco, Wiley Online Lib a y on [18/12/2024]. See he Te ms and Condi ions (h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/ e ms-and-condi ions) on Wiley Online Lib a y o ules o use; OA a icles a e go e ned by he applicable C ea i e Commons License | 117 RODRÍGUEZ- PASCUAL e al. child en hemsel es a e p e alen . O he elemen s allude o a pe iod cha ac e ized by educed use o public spaces, such as he home, he sun, he clouds and sc eens. Among hese equen elemen s, some indica e he emo ional s a e o he child popula ion, including depic ions o c y- ing, con inemen and he emo icon ep esen ing sadness (Figu e1). Following he ini ial desc ip i e coding, he subsequen s ep in ol ed iden i ying and ca - ego izing i ems ha depic ed an emo ional s a e in o wo main g oups: nega i e and posi i e emo ions. A o al o 213 i ems we e ca ego ized as ep esen ing ‘nega i e emo ions’, while 91 we e iden i ied as con eying ‘posi i e emo ions’. Due o hei signi ican p esence in he collec ed ma e ial, he analysis p ima ily ocuses on he o me ca ego y. Rega ding he dis ibu ion o hese elemen s ac oss gende , conside ing he o e ep esen a ion o gi ls (who cons i u e ap- p oxima ely 62% o he sample), he b eakdown is as ollows: in he ‘nega i e emo ions’ ca ego y, 71.7% o he i ems we e d awn by gi ls and 28.3% by boys. In he less equen case o ‘posi i e emo ions’, 77.9% we e d awn by gi ls, wi h he emaining 22.1% by boys. Addi ionally, 138 el- emen s con aining ex ual in o ma ion insc ibed in he d awings we e iden i ied. This subse showed a less dispa a e gende dis ibu ion, wi h 66.3% d awn by gi ls and 33.6% by boys. Beyond hei s ic ca ego iza ion, he collec ed d awings allude o a ich and complex emo- ional exp ession. Upon close examina ion o he d awings and he accompanying ex ual ele- men s, new in e p e a ions eme ge, o e ing insigh s in o speci ic aspec s o he pandemic. Fo example, one no able obse a ion om he analysis e eals exp essi e di e ences in how boys and gi ls ep esen hei expe iences. Boys d aw ac ion scenes depic ing e o s o s op o de ea he i us (see d awings 1 and 2 in he Figu e2 below). In con as , gi ls mo e commonly po ay aspec s o li e and emo ional expe iences du ing he pandemic. They equen ly eso o sel - po ai u e (some imes accompanied by depic ions o ea s, as in he example p o ided below). The ollowing igu e o e s a e y exp essi e sample o hese gende - based di e ences. These dis inc isual ep esen a ions a e u he suppo ed by examining he equency o appea ance o labelled elemen s acco ding o gende . Th ough coding, he elemen s d awn by FIGURE 1 Elemen s wi h numbe o appea ances in child en's d awings ≥5. 91 38 31 19 12 12 8 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 0102030405060708090100 i us mask gi l house sun boy sy inge clouds p ison sad emocon c ying hyd oalchoholic gel hospi al sc een 10990860, 2025, 1, Downloaded om h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.12897 by Uni e sidad Del Pais Vasco, Wiley Online Lib a y on [18/12/2024]. See he Te ms and Condi ions (h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/ e ms-and-condi ions) on Wiley Online Lib a y o ules o use; OA a icles a e go e ned by he applicable C ea i e Commons License 118 | RODRÍGUEZ- PASCUAL e al. gi ls and boys ha e been labelled, allowing us o iden i y hose ha a e unique o each gende . In he d awings by gi ls, unique i ems include na u al elemen s such as he plane , he ainbow o he s a s. Addi ionally, ep esen a ions o people and i ems ela ed o he heal h en i onmen (women, sick indi iduals and he Red C oss) and symbols ela ed o he emo ional wo ld, such as hea s, skulls, emo icons and smiling monkeys, a e p e alen . The lis o unique elemen s in he boys' d awings is compa a i ely smalle , ea u ing i ems such as he police, compu e s and swimming pools. This can be u he e ined by conside ing he p e alence o he di e en elemen s in he d awings o each gende . By calcula ing he equency o occu ence o a ious elemen s iden- i ied in gi ls' and boys' d awings, we ha e ound ha elemen s ela ed o emo ional exp es- sion a e p edominan ly iden i ied in d awings c ea ed by gi ls. Fo ins ance, sad s ick igu es (iden i ied in 3 ou o 4 ins ances) o emo icons ha exp ess sadness, con inemen , o c ying (all iden i ied in 4 ou o 6 ins ances) a e mo e p e alen in he gi ls' d awings. Addi ionally, el- emen s associa ed wi h he heal h c isis and he heal hca e ield, such as masks (iden i ied in 26 ou o 38 ins ances), hyd oalcoholic gel (iden i ied in 4 ou o 5 ins ances) and an igen es s (iden i ied in 3 ou o 4 ins ances), a e also mo e equen ly ep esen ed in d awings by gi ls. The ep esen a ion o he es ic i e aspec s o he pandemic on child en's li e The home as an exp ession o he emo ional ambi alences o he pandemic As expec ed, in he ep esen a ion o a pandemic e a cha ac e ized by signi ican es ic ions on mo emen and ou doo social ac i i ies, ou analysis o child en's d awings e ealed equen de- pic ions o he home as he cen al place o li e du ing he pandemic. The home anks as he ou h mos iden i ied elemen in he se o d awings analysed, appea ing in app oxima ely 18%. These ep esen a ions o en ea u e s e eo ypical depic ions o he home as a single- amily dwelling (see igu e below). Th ough he windows, gi ls and boys a e commonly depic ed obse ing li e ou - side—a space hey seem o gaze upon longingly om wi hin. This ex e nal space is o en ado ned wi h adian suns, ees o clouds. Howe e , i also ca ies he h ea o he i us. Figu e3 illus- a es wo examples o his ype o ep esen a ion ha emphasizes he ole o he home as a e uge. Child en's ep esen a ions also explo e he ambi alence cha ac e izing he concep o home du ing he pandemic. On he one hand, he home is seen as a e uge om con agion and heal h isks p e alen in he public sphe e. Howe e , i is also depic ed as a place o con inemen and unwelcome seclusion, ma ked by igid bounda ies ha sepa a e child en om an ex e nal space, FIGURE 2 Di e en ep esen a ions exp essed by boys and gi ls. [Colou igu e can be iewed a wileyonlinelib a y.com] 1.Boy, 10 yea s 2.Boy, 7 yea s 3.Gi l, 10 yea s 4.Gi l, 12 yea s 10990860, 2025, 1, Downloaded om h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.12897 by Uni e sidad Del Pais Vasco, Wiley Online Lib a y on [18/12/2024]. See he Te ms and Condi ions (h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/ e ms-and-condi ions) on Wiley Online Lib a y o ules o use; OA a icles a e go e ned by he applicable C ea i e Commons License | 119 RODRÍGUEZ- PASCUAL e al. esul ing in an in e up ed social li e. This sepa a ion leads o diminished social ela ions, cul i- a ing a sense o isola ion and nega i e emo ions such as us a ion and sadness. The ollowing d awing in Figu e4, c ea ed by a 9- yea - old gi l du ing one o he wo kshops held in Ba celona, se es as a poignan example o his ambi alence and i s po en ial emo ional signi icance. The d awing illus a es wha should ha e happened jus ou side he house— he amily celeb a ion o he bi hday. Howe e , pandemic es ic ions ha e p e en ed his. The sol- i a y cake ou side he house i idly symbolizes he igid bounda y imposed by he walls o he home o many child en du ing he pandemic—bo h physical and pe aining o social ela ion- ships. The accompanying ex p o ided by he child he sel u he desc ibes he d awing. P ison as a me apho o child en's li es du ing he pandemic I is s iking how child en om a ious pa s o Spain sha e a common ep esen a ion o he pan- demic, symbolized by an image o a p ison. We ha e iden i ied up o six d awings om di e en FIGURE 3 Rep esen a ions o he home as a e uge. [Colou igu e can be iewed a wileyonlinelib a y.com] 1.Gi l, 9yea s 2. Gi l, 9 yea s FIGURE 4 Rep esen a ion o home as a space o con inemen . [Colou igu e can be iewed a wileyonlinelib a y.com] "I emembe my bi hday when I was 9 yea s old. We we e con ined,and I couldn' celeb a e i , ha 's why he cake is ou side he house. My amily had Co id, and we we e con ined, and we couldn' celeb a e and I couldn' blow ou he candles" (Gi l, 9 yea s old). 10990860, 2025, 1, Downloaded om h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.12897 by Uni e sidad Del Pais Vasco, Wiley Online Lib a y on [18/12/2024]. See he Te ms and Condi ions (h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/ e ms-and-condi ions) on Wiley Online Lib a y o ules o use; OA a icles a e go e ned by he applicable C ea i e Commons License 126 | RODRÍGUEZ- PASCUAL e al. San os, I., He nández, M., A elina, M., Mongi, B., González, R., & Geijo, S. (2021). 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Lea ning, Cul u e and Social In e ac ion, 38, 100683. h ps:// doi. o g/ 10. 1016/j. lcsi. 2022. 100683 Weidel, J. (1995). Being he e: Using pic u es o see he in isible. In M. Sch a z & R. Walke (Eds.), Resea ch as social change: New oppo uni ies o quali a i e esea ch (pp. 72–90). Rou ledge. Young, L., & Ba e , H. (2001). Adap ing isual me hods: Ac ion esea ch wi h Kampala s ee child en. A ea, 33(2), 141–152. h ps:// doi. o g/ 10. 1111/ 1475- 4762. 00017 AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES I án Rod íguez- Pascual is a p o esso a he Uni e si y o Huel a and execu i e membe o he Sociology o Childhood Commi ee o he Spanish Fede a ion o Sociology, wi h he socio- logical s udy o childhood and i s li ing condi ions being his main line o esea ch. Naia a Be asa egui- Sancho is an educa ion expe , sociologis and p o esso a he Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y. He line o esea ch has ocused on social and educa ional inclusion and on ulne able g oups and s uden s wi h special needs and educa ional suppo needs. 10990860, 2025, 1, Downloaded om h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.12897 by Uni e sidad Del Pais Vasco, Wiley Online Lib a y on [18/12/2024]. See he Te ms and Condi ions (h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/ e ms-and-condi ions) on Wiley Online Lib a y o ules o use; OA a icles a e go e ned by he applicable C ea i e Commons License | 127 RODRÍGUEZ- PASCUAL e al. Amaia Eigu en- Muni is is a social wo ke and p o esso a he Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y. She has ex ensi e expe ience as a social educa o wi h child en insi ua ions o ul- ne abili y. He esea ch ocuses on in e gene a ional ela ionships. Mai ane Picaza- Go o xa egi is an educa ion expe and p o esso a he acul y o educa- ion in he Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y. Noemí Se ano- Díaz is a psychopedagogue and specialis in ea ly childhood educa ion, p o- esso a he Depa men o Didac ics in he Uni e si y o Cádiz. Te esa González- Gómez is sociologis and p o esso a he Uni e si y o Huel a, as well as esea che in he ield o social capi al and u ban s udies and social pa icipa ion. E a- Palasí- Luna is a lec u e a he acul y o social educa ion and social wo k in he Ramon Llull Uni e si y and his ield o specializa ion and esea ch is childhood and you h s udies. How o ci e his a icle: Rod íguez- Pascual, I., Be asa egui- Sancho, N., Eigu en- Muni is, A., Picaza- Go o xa egi, M., Se ano- Díaz, N., González- Gómez, T., & Palasí- Luna, E. (2025). T acing emo ional expe iences and he well- being du ing he pandemic h ough d awings by Spanish child en. Child en & Socie y, 39, 111–127. h ps://doi.o g/10.1111/chso.12897 10990860, 2025, 1, Downloaded om h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.12897 by Uni e sidad Del Pais Vasco, Wiley Online Lib a y on [18/12/2024]. See he Te ms and Condi ions (h ps://onlinelib a y.wiley.com/ e ms-and-condi ions) on Wiley Online Lib a y o ules o use; OA a icles a e go e ned by he applicable C ea i e Commons License