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Literature as a therapeutic instrument in the health-disease process in childhood
Abstract and Figures
Introduction:
Everybody, throughout their life, must adapt to countless situations in which they are involved; that is why it is necessary to understand each of them in order to advance properly. It has been observed that psychological therapies, among which bibliotherapy is, are effective to understand the changes that people face.
Objective:
To analyze and highlight the most relevant effects of the use of literature on the child's health-disease process at different times and contexts.
Method:
A review of the literature was performed through the bibliographic research in the databases Dialnet, Cuiden Plus, LILACS, Medline, Proquest, Pubmed, Scielo, Scopus, TDR, Trip and Virtual Health Library.
Results:
After the bibliographic research, 2018 articles were identified, out of which 71 articles were obtained after applying filters and inclusion criteria. Finally, 26 articles were selected.
Conclusions:
Bibliotherapy is beneficial in various areas related to the health-disease process during childhood, improving among other things self-esteem and acceptance of reality, promoting psychological well-being and serving as a bridge in communication between the individual and the health professional.
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... 4 From a didactic point of view, storybooks can provide children with new information about the world, enrich vocabulary and enhance specific language skills (in the classroom or at home), nurturing communication between the storyteller (teacher, parent or other professional staff) and the listeners. 5,6 It is known that stories -by reproducing fictional situations that match with children's real problems -allow them to feel comfortable and safe in difficult circumstances, ensuring emotional security and providing healthier ways to deal with internal struggles, life adversities and stressors. 7 Story-tales compensate what young people may lack, by presenting them positive patterns of behaviours and constructive models through the characters they could identify with. ...
... Lesnik-Oberstein, 1998 20 Steadman & Palmer, 1997 1 Bettelheim, 1991 57 Ohler, 2006 22 Moyer, 2000 38 Cairney, 1984 58 Hunt, 2000 23 Banister & Ryan, 2001 39 Storr, 1986 59 Zeece PD, 2004 24 Riecken & Miller, 1990 40 Purves & Monson, 1984 60 Zipes, 1996 25 Batini & Giusti, 2008 41 Freud & Strachey, 1964 61 Boyd et al, 2011 26 Williams, 2000 42 Bernays, 1979 62 Hunt, 2006 27 Daniel, 2013 43 Heath et al, 2005 63 Winnicott, 1964 28 Brice, 2004 44 Wyatt, 2008 64 Nikolajeva, 1995 29 Brown, 2000 45 Piotrow & De Fossard, 2003 65 Zipes, 2013 30 Isbell et al, 2004 46 Albert, 2010 66 Kilpatrick et al,1994 31 Mokhtar et al, 2011 47 Reynolds et al, 2000 67 Guroian, 2002 32 Forgan, 2002 48 Lenkowsky, 1987 68 Zipes, 2002 33 Apol, 1998 49 Hoagland, 1972 69 Yenika-Agbaw, 1997 34 Zabel, 1991 50 Charon & Eric, 2017 70 Zeece, 1997 35 Ohler, 2013 51 Rudnytsky & Charon, 2008 71 Robin, 2008 36 Chai et al, 2010 52 Babarro Vélez & Lacalle Prieto, 2018 6 Seligman, 2009 37 Unsworth, 2005 53 Rozalski et al, 2010 7 Keehn et al, 2008 54 Mallan, 1992 55 Chard, 2000 56 Johnson & Louis, 1987 5 designed for children's use. 19 Only in the 18th century, with the evolving of the concept of childhood, a separate genre of children's literature was created. ...
... Today, literature is somehow considered as psychological therapy, especially in childhood, and even as a cure for psychosomatic disorders. 6 In the therapeutic approach, bibliotherapy includes also discussion and reflection on the story's topics that overlap with the individual needs and have an evocative function that relies on projection and identification mechanisms. Proper storybooks work as a strategy for attitudinal change and self-improvement, acting through a compensatory function in children who lack of positive experiences which are often missing in their family or community. ...
Background: Tales were transmitted from one generation to another, enriching young people with values, beliefs, imagination and creativity. Children’s literature still plays a crucial part in education as it provides knowledge and entertainment, representing a typical example of"edutainment". In this paper, we carried out a review to examine pedagogic, didactic and psychological/therapeutic dimensions of children’s literature, with the aim of highlighting its role in promoting students’ holistic development and wellbeing. Methods: We have searched for original articles (from 1960s to 2019), by using the following keywords: "fairytales" or "fairy tales" or "folktales" or "fables" AND "education" or"development" or "learning" or "teaching" or "school" or "curriculum" or "classroom" AND"children" or "child" or "kids" or "childhood" AND "health" or "wellbeing". Results: We found 17 studies concerning pedagogic aspect of children literature, while 21 and17 studies were selected for didactic and therapeutic dimensions, respectively. From a pedagogic point of view, tales convey basic values useful for children lives. In a didactic perspective, properly chosen storybooks represent a valuable resource for school activities, improving students’ language skills and building up a friendly/respectful classroom environment. Children stories are also used by health professionals for therapeutic purposes (bibliotherapy) to prevent unhealthy habits and addictions, or address psychosomatic disorders. Finally, storybooks and web-based/digital stories can be an effective vehicle for health contents, to encourage the adoption of healthy lifestyles among schoolchildren. Conclusion: Children’s literature and storytelling could be helpful in promoting students’ global development and wellbeing, when included in school curricular activities.
... Recent studies in disaster education have highlighted the value of operating with conceptual and visual metaphors, identifying metaphors that often intersect with students when coping with an earthquake [22]. Metaphors help enrichen stories and stories may also provide children with new knowledge and understanding [23]. Narrative techniques can be an important tool for teaching intrinsically complex subjects [23]. ...
... Metaphors help enrichen stories and stories may also provide children with new knowledge and understanding [23]. Narrative techniques can be an important tool for teaching intrinsically complex subjects [23]. Metaphors can be a valuable means of bringing underlying assumptions to awareness, encouraging reflection, discovering discrepancies and encouraging change in educational practices and beliefs during the narrative experience in risk education [24]. ...
In this study, the authors explored extensively about using digital folklore in early childhood disaster education. The researchers used a Comprehensive Literature Review (CLR) as a data collection tool and method of inquiry. The research followed the Seven-Step Model for CLR by Onwuegbuzie and Frels [1], which consisted of: exploring beliefs and subjects, initiating the search, storing and organizing information, selecting/deselecting information, extending search, evaluating and synthesizing information, and finally reporting the CLR. The authors explored conceptualizations and analyzed models used in early childhood disaster education that use digital folklore, as well as related studies. The comprehensive literature review shows that when folklore and digital technology are combined, they appear to create interesting and engaging early childhood disaster education. However, further scientific research is required, as there is a lack of empirical data on how it works exactly and also how effective it is. This study is aimed at improving our understanding of the use of digital folklore in early childhood disaster education by presenting a detailed overview of the existing debate and offering valuable guidance for future study.
... Pulimeno et al. (2020) argued that reading and responding to children's literature is a powerful tool to address bullying and racism in schools. By seeing themselves and others and experiencing a different world through stories, students better understand themselves and others (Babarro & Lacalle, 2018). ...
Students who identify as LGBTQ are often bullied in schools and may also have self-esteem issues. School counselors often find it difficult to provide sensitive counseling services on LGBTQ topics. The authors of this article recommend that quality children's and young adult literature be used as an anchor to bring up and discuss various topics related to LGBTQ when counseling school children. They also introduce some quality picture and chapter books with LGBTQ content and recommend counseling activities to be used with those books.
... Both storytelling and story reading have been found to be successful educational strategies that create significant improvements in language acquisition in young children (Lucarevschi, 2016;Miller & Pennycuff, 2008;Speaker et al., 2004); improve their oral or spoken language (Cooper, 2009;Cremin et al., 2018;Isbell et al., 2004;Typadi & Hayon, 2010); develop reading comprehension (Craig et al., 2001;Haven & Ducey, 2007); make sense of basic mathematics (Casey et al., 2008;Goral & Gnadinger, 2006;Pramling & Samuelsson, 2008); explain science (Hu et al., 2020;Preradovic et al., 2016;Valkanova & Watts, 2007;Walan, 2019); prepare for school (Nicolopoulou et al., 2015); communicate effectively (Sundin et al., 2018); help children to learn and appreciate their world (Cremin et al., 2018;Vélez & Prieto, 2018); improve cross-cultural communication (Al-Jafar & Buzzelli, 2004); and promote moral and social development (Bailey et al., 2006;Burns & Rathbone, 2010;Thambu, 2017). ...
Digital storytelling blends the ancient art of storytelling with a range of contemporary tools to weave stories together with the author’s narrative voice, including digital images, graphics, music and sound. Digital storytelling, as both a teaching method
and a learning resource, has been applied in many innovative ways at all levels of education. Digital storytelling supports student learning and allows teachers to adopt innovative and improved teaching methods. Storytelling is a proven and popular pedagogy, while digital storytelling is relatively recent and still seldom used in the setting of early childhood education. Using a case study of a storytelling–art–science club in Jakarta, Indonesia, the researcher explored how and why digital storytelling is used in early childhood education. This club is one of the few organizations that use digital storytelling for teaching and learning programs in early childhood. Data were collected qualitatively using in-depth interviews with four teachers, document analysis, and twice-observations of storytelling activities in each session with 35 and 37 children. The collected data were analyzed using analytical memoing methods. The results indicate that teachers in this club used digital storytelling for several important reasons. They claimed that simple digital technology made storytelling more entertaining, captivat- ing, engaging, communicative and theatrical. This study suggests that the ability of teachers to use digital technology should be enhanced; schools’ information and communication technology (ICT) devices should be equipped; some funding should also be allocated by the government to modernize school equipment; while the curriculum should be tailored to meet technological developments, and provide opportunities for children to learn how to make good use of technology.
... A review of several journal articles shows that the administration of bibliographic therapy can increase self-confidence, acceptance of reality, psychological well-being and facilitate communication between health workers and pediatric patients treated in hospitals (Vélez & Prieto, 2018). A review of the literature reports that the use of board media such as chess and others can improve cognitive, prevent depression and behavior modification (Nakao, 2019). ...
Children who were hospitalized in 2017 were 3.21% with the percentage of school-age children 47.62%. Hospital is a planned or emergency process where children are required to undergo treatment at the hospital. The reaction of child hospitalization varies, depending on the stage of development, previous illness experiences, support systems, and the children's coping abilities. One of the stressors of pediatric hospitalization is the complexity of the therapeutic procedures provided by nurses and medical teams. The study aims to play therapy as one method in reducing anxiety and increasing children's cooperation during undergoing treatment procedures. The research method was Pre-Experimental Research with One Group Pretest-Posttest approach. A sample of 20 children was with a simple random sampling technique. The study was conducted in April-September 2019 in the Children's Ward of Yogyakarta City Public Hospital. Inclusion criteria: children were first admitted to the hospital on the first or second day; children aged 7-12 years; had no physical disabilities, cognitive and language disorders; had sufficient physical ability to take part in the game. The results of data analysis using paired t-test obtained p value<0.001 with a pretest value of 16.55 ± 6.88 and post-test 26.45 ± 1.79. The conclusion of the research shows that there is an effect of giving Bibliotherapy and Snake-Ladder Game Therapy in increasing the cooperative level of children in undergoing nursing actions during hospitalization. Researchers recommend this play therapy as one of the permanent procedures for independent nursing actions in each child's ward.
In literary analysis, discourses of degeneration and illness have often been used to “diagnose” the ills plaguing a nation. This study seeks to expand this traditional assumption, suggesting that the pathologies found in two recent Dominican novels are actually part of a therapeutic experience. In both Alanna Lockward’s Marassá y la nada and Rita Indiana’s Hecho en Saturno, existential anxieties are produced by a profound feeling of not belonging. These anxieties cause protagonists to engage in pathological behaviors related to addiction – self-starvation and substance abuse – to self-medicate painful affective states of isolation, disconnection and unhappiness. In both texts, the experience of these pathologies forms an inherent part of a therapeutic journey and works as a catalyst to discover a new way of thinking about nationhood, belonging and identity.
La abrupta aparicion de la enfermedad, genera en la poblacion infantil una ruptura del equilibrio del que hasta el momento habia gozado. Tales son las reminiscencias que la perdida de salud acarrea en el nino que, no unicamente nos hallariamos ante un problema de salud, sino que, asi mismo, habrian de tenerse presentes las consecuencias personales y sociales que esta poblacion adolece al enfermar. Tanto es asi, que desde el actual texto legislativo con competencia en educacion (LOE, 2006) se aluden a las necesidades especificas de apoyo educativo que acompanan a la enfermedad y se preven modalidades de escolarizacion diferentes a las ordinarias (aulas hospitalarias). Una atencion adecuada al nino enfermo, pasa para la asociacion de la Pedagogia Hospitalaria y la Pedagogia Terapeutica, aunandose necesidades educativas especiales y asistenciales, a fin de ofrecer una respuesta personalizada e interdisciplinar. Una herramienta que contribuye al bienestar emocional del nino hospitalizado es la literatura. En el trabajo que nos ocupa, recurrimos a la literatura infantil como un instrumento terapeutico. A lo largo del mismo, ahondamos en la utilizacion de esta, no unicamente como una fuente de placer o diversion para el nino, sino como un medio de evasion, ante la traumatica situacion que le ha tocado afrontar. El cuento, empleado con fines terapeuticos, posibilita el desarrollo personal del paciente pediatrico, al afrontar los problemas psicologicos derivados de la hospitalizacion. Asi mismo, el identificarse con los personajes ficticios le ayuda a comprender la ardua realidad a la que se enfrenta, superando miedos e, incluso, modificando actitudes o creencias preconcebidas acerca del hospital y los profesionales que lo asisten.
La lectura compartida de libros infantiles ilustrados se refiere a la lectura en voz alta que hace un adulto en compañía de un niño, generalmente prelector. Esta actividad es una de las prácticas que se tiene en cuenta en los estudios sociológicos y económicos sobre inversión parental y logro educativo. El propósito de este trabajo es revisar los beneficios de la lectura compartida y describir las posibles razones que explican estos beneficios. La investigación realizada con niños de diferente clase social y nivel de desarrollo del lenguaje ha demostrado que la lectura compartida tiene importantes efectos directos en el desarrollo del lenguaje oral y el conocimiento de lo impreso, e indirectos en la alfabetización temprana y el aprendizaje de la lectura. Se presentan los principales modelos de interacción durante la lectura: la lectura dialógica y la lectura con énfasis en lo impreso. También se analizan las características de la lectura compartida que mejor explican su beneficio tales como el hecho de tratarse de una actividad rutinaria, el rico vocabulario de los libros, el estilo de interacción entre el adulto y el niño, la experiencia emocional que genera y la exposición al texto escrito. Finalmente, se discuten algunas implicaciones educativas incluyendo orientaciones acerca de la frecuencia de la lectura compartida, la edad de inicio, las características de los libros, la función del entrenamiento y los modelos de interacción entre el adulto y el niño para el óptimo desarrollo de esta actividad tan valiosa en la alfabetización temprana y el posterior rendimiento y hábito lector.
Story is a powerful tool in holistic nursing care. Narrative therapy, story circles, narrative-psychotherapy, and family therapy methodology have incorporated storytelling in a research setting. Childhood cancers isolate children from traditional childhood experiences. In recent years, survival rates for pediatric oncology patients have improved, opening up opportunities for research. The increase in life expectancy makes it necessary to investigate the psychosocial perspectives of children as they progress. This review focuses on the use of digital storytelling among pediatric cancer patients as a form of reflection. Furthermore, it addresses the possible therapeutic effects that may be realized by children who produce a digital story. Sixty-four references were identified via Pubmed and CINAHL databases using the following keywords: “digital storytelling,” “narrative therapy,” “pediatric oncology,” “childhood development,” and “interactive narrative.” Future research will focus on addressing the gap in the science, particularly in evaluating pediatric oncology patients’ perspectives about the role of digital story in the context of Erikson’s developmental stages.
The focus of this article is on bibliotherapy and child development. Particular attention is given to collaboration between psychologists and educators. The authors identify and discuss the benefits of bibliotherapy, provide guidelines for practice, and discuss implementation. Cautions, new directions, and particular issues relating to bibliotherapy in Portugal conclude this article.
Anxiety disorders in childhood and adolescence are extremely common and are often associated with lifelong psychiatric disturbance. Consistent with DSM-5 and the extant literature, this review concerns the assessment and treatment of specific phobias, separation anxiety disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder and agoraphobia. Evidence-based psychological treatments (cognitive behaviour therapy; CBT) for these disorders have been developed and investigated, and in recent years promising low-intensity versions of CBT interventions have been proposed that offer a means to increase access to evidence-based treatments. There is some evidence of effectiveness of pharmacological treatments for anxiety disorders in children and young people, however, routine prescription is not recommended due to concerns about potential harm.
Bullying affects a significant number of school children in the United States. Great concern for teaching children about bullying is apparent in the number of picture books published with bullying themes. The following study is a content analysis of how bullies and victims are portrayed in picture books suitable for preschoolers. Many of the stories offered a way for children to vicariously experience and even rehearse what they would do in situations where there is no adult to intervene. Findings showed that bullies were twice as likely to be male; however, sex of victims in picture books was evenly split between males and females. While teasing and name calling was the most prevalent type of bullying portrayed, female perpetrators were just as likely to physically bully their victims as male perpetrators. Findings also reveal a strong emphasis on victims’ feelings and reactions. Absent was meaningful representation of why bullies bullied, instead placing the responsibility of stopping the bullies on the victims. While nearly every story had a happy ending, bullying was treated overall as an inevitable reality for children.
Introduction: Creative bibliotherapy is the guided reading of fiction and poetry relevant to therapeutic needs. Experiencing stories is hypothesized to act on the same mechanisms as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This systematic review assesses the efficacy and effectiveness of creative bibliotherapy for the prevention and treatment of internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and the strengthening of prosocial behaviors in children (aged 5-16). Method: An electronic search in seven major databases was conducted along with hand searches of key journals and bibliographies. Only randomized or cluster-randomized trials were included. Primary outcomes: internalizing behavior (e.g., anxiety and depression), externalizing behavior (e.g., aggression), and prosocial behavior (e.g., behavioral intentions and attitudes towards others). Secondary outcomes: parent-child relationship, peer relationship, educational attainment and reading ability. Results: 9180 records were located after removing duplicates. 9134 were excluded prior to screening. Of the 46 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, eight met the inclusion criteria and 38 were excluded. Meta-analysis was inappropriate due to study heterogeneity. Overall results suggest that creative bibliotherapy has small to moderate effect for internalizing behavior (δ range: 0.48-1.28), externalizing behavior (δ range: 0.53-1.09), and prosocial behavior (δ range: 0-1.2). Conclusion: Creative bibliotherapy can have a small to moderate positive effect on child behavior. Although no definitive model of creative bibliotherapy emerges from the included studies, to some extent all interventions reflected CBT mechanisms. Further research is required to: 1) model the change processes taking place when children experience stories; 2) develop and pilot an intervention; 3) assess subgroup effects by gender, age, modality and literacy.