Therapeutic play: effects on hospitalized children

In an attempt to demonstrate therapeutic play as a potential treatment of hospital-induced anxiety in 5- to 11-year-old children, the following research study was conducted in two different hospital settings over a four-year period. A two-group experimental design was developed that included therapeutic play for the experimental children and pre and post measures of anxiety for all children. Results of this study demonstrate that therapeutic play is a valuable intervention with hospitalized children.