Logo image
The use of interactive song creations to reduce anxiety and fear in hospitalized children
Thesis   Open access

The use of interactive song creations to reduce anxiety and fear in hospitalized children

Jocelyn Elaine Fish
Master of Arts (M.A.), Drexel University
Dec 2008
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-2985
pdf
Fish_Jocelyn_2008315.57 kBDownloadView

Abstract

Songs Anxiety Fear Children Hospitalization Music therapy
The purpose of this research is the development of a method, Interactive Song Creations, to assist in achieving mastery over anxiety and fear for hospitalized children. Although there are existing verbal methods designed to decrease anxiety and fear in this population, some children do not have the prerequisite verbally-based cognitive and abstract reasoning skills to understand: 1) the reason for being in the hospital: and 2) what will happen to them and / or their bodies while in the hospital. In these cases the child's fears resulting from hospitalization, along with fears of being alone and of their uncertain future relating to wellness and loss, frequently manifests as anxiety and / or depression. Interactive Song Creations attract the child's abilities for using imagination, metaphor, creativity, and play, within a therapeutic relationship. The method developed addressed Erik Erikson's psychosocial stage of development called middle childhood. Clinical vignettes of two hospitalized children were analyzed using the proposed method, Interactive Song creations. The clinical vignettes produced questionable results as to how this method supported mastery over anxiety and fear for the hospitalized child. Much of the analyses were inferences rather than objective points of view from direct experience of using the method. Additionally, the researcher was unable to gather moreviclinical data to support the method due to the end of her exposure to this population. In summary, following the steps of the proposed method, Interactive Song Creations, exactly will better support a more objective analysis of each client. With more supportive data a clearer picture will be painted in how achieving mastery over anxiety and fear in the middle childhood stage of development will occur using this method.

Metrics

38 File views/ downloads
50 Record Views

Details

Logo image