Effects of sandplay therapy in reducing emotional and behavioural problems in school‐age children with chronic diseases: A randomized controlled trial

Nursing Open

Judan Tan¹  Xiaoli Guo¹  Huaying Yin¹  Tuo Meng¹ 

[1] Department of child health in Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Health and Nutrition Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University Chongqing P.R. China;

关键词: behavioural interventions;    child and adolescent;    chronic disease;    mental health promotion;    nursing role;    sandplay therapy;   

DOI  :  10.1002/nop2.1022

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Purpose Children with chronic diseases exhibit a higher incidence of emotional–behavioural problems. Though sandplay therapy is a universally recognized psychological treatment method, experimental evidence for this form of therapy is lacking. Our aims were to examine the effectiveness of sandplay therapy in reducing emotional and behavioural problems in school‐age children with chronic diseases as well as anxiety and depression in their caregivers. Design and methods A total of 60 children and their caregivers were enrolled in the present study between January and October 2019. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China. Participants were divided into an intervention and a control group. Both groups received regular treatment, and the intervention group received additional sandplay therapy. Four behavioural rating scales were used to evaluate the differences between the two groups. The children's scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Self‐Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self‐Rating Depression Scale (SDS) before and after the intervention were compared using the Mann–Whitney test. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was also employed to compare the median results before and after treatment. Results The total scores for CBCL, anxiety and depression, withdrawal, and social behavioural problems for children in the intervention group were all lower than the corresponding scores for those in the control group (p < .05). The EPQ scores for emotional stability and psychosis in the intervention group were both lower than those in the control group (p < .05). The SAS and SDS scores for the caregivers of children in the intervention group were also lower than the corresponding scores for those in the control group (p < .05). Conclusion Sandplay therapy can reduce anxiety, withdrawal, and social behavioural problems in school‐age children with chronic diseases, as well as relieve anxiety and depression symptoms in their caregivers. Our study provided evidence for the clinical application of sandplay therapy and highlights the importance of offering and integrating psychological treatment in clinical nursing care.

【 授权许可】

Unknown