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Enhancing dramatic play potential in hospitalized children
Insights
Hospitalized children often lack dramatic play due to separation-individuation challenges. Restoring self-development through therapeutic play activities helps them regain this crucial developmental capacity.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Hospitalization disrupts children's sense of self and developmental progression.
- Illness and separation can induce regression to earlier developmental stages.
- The capacity for symbolic and dramatic play is linked to self-development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the functions of play in hospitalized children.
- To examine the impact of hospitalization on self-development and play capacity.
- To identify remedial play strategies for therapeutic benefits.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on play, hospitalization, and child development.
- Analysis of the relationship between separation-individuation and dramatic play.
- Discussion of developmental regression and symbolic play facilitation.
Main Results:
- Dramatic play is infrequent in hospitalized children, correlating with developmental stage.
- Hospitalization impacts self-development, potentially hindering symbolic play.
- Remedial activities can foster development, enabling therapeutic play.
Conclusions:
- Restoring self-development is key for hospitalized children to engage in dramatic play.
- Play serves a vital role in a child's sense of self during hospitalization.
- Therapeutic play interventions can support developmental progression and well-being.
Abstract:
Dramatic play is seldom seen in hospitalized children. It is hypothesized that children recapitulate the separation-individuation process during hospitalization and, thus, are not capable of dramatic play until the process of self-development is restored. This article discusses the functions of play with hospitalized children and focuses on: (a) the relevance of play to the child's sense of self; (b) the impact of illness and hospitalization on the child, with emphasis on regression to earlier stages of self-development and on the developing capacity for symbolic play; and (c) the remedial activities to move children forward developmentally so that they can use play's potential for therapeutic benefit.
