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Published on: January 7, 2020
[Play therapy in hospital]
Katharina Gold1, Dirk Grothues, Michael Leitzmann
1Klinik und Poliklinik für Kinderund Jugendmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg. Katharina.Gold@klinik.uni-regensburg.de
Insights
This review explores play therapy for hospitalized children, detailing diagnoses where it proves effective. It aims to clarify the scientific evidence for using play therapy with sick children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Child Life Services
Context:
- Hospitalized children face significant psychological distress.
- Play therapy is an intervention to mitigate this distress.
Purpose:
- To review current research on play therapy in pediatric hospital settings.
- To identify specific diagnoses where play therapy demonstrates efficacy.
- To inform clinical practice regarding indications for play therapy in sick children.
Summary:
- Play therapy offers benefits for various pediatric diagnoses in hospital settings.
- Evidence supports its use in managing anxiety, pain, and procedural adaptation.
- Further research is needed to expand its application.
Impact:
- Provides evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals.
- Enhances the psychosocial care of hospitalized children.
- Supports the integration of play therapy into standard pediatric care.
Abstract:
The following article presents an overview of current research studies on play therapy in the hospital. It highlights individual diagnoses for which play therapy has shown reasonable success. The aim of this review is to describe the current status of the scientific debate on play therapy for sick children in order to allow conclusions regarding the indications for which play therapy is or might be useful.
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