Comparative study of adolescents with Rorschach: public and private schools

Abstract Objective This investigation presents a comparison among students from public and private schools in specific variables of the Rorschach test, Comprehensive System. Method One hundred eighteen adolescents from the city of São Paulo participated in the study, aged 13-17 years, from public (N = 49) and private schools (N = 69). Mixed linear effects models were used to test the effect of school, controlled by sex, years of education (fixed effects), and evaluator (random effect). Results Private schools students presented higher values of R (p = 0.015, d = 0.47) and Complexity scores (p = 0.007, d = 0.53). After inserting Complexity as a fixed factor in the model, the only variable that remained significant was Xu% (p = 0.008, d = -0.52), lower in private schools students. Conclusion The small number of differences found in this study indicates, at least for this age range, a trend to equivalent performance when comparing private and public schools. Even though the Rorschach is a method of personality assessment, it is clear that it can also signalize information related to each group's personal experiences.