None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Exposure to traumatic incidents is more common in children from less developed countries. Most of these countries have limited mental health support systems. However, it is known that exposure to trauma has detrimental impacts on a young child. Negative cognitions that occur due to trauma increase the risk of developing different complicated psychological problems in later life. Hence early intervention is important for young children. A cost-effective intervention developed by a Sadeh, Hen-Gal, & Tikotzky (2008) in war affected areas showed promise and will be evaluated with children from a developing country. The original study used a stuffed toy to be taken care of by the children with war stress reactions and after 3-weeks it was found that problematic reactions were reduced. A key aim is therefore to replicate the study by Sadeh et al (2008) and see whether simply caring for a toy can reduce distress in young children exposed to severe trauma. In addition, we will examine whether the addition of specific positive statements can enhance this effect. Ref: Sadeh, A., Hen-Gal, S & Tikotzky, L (2008) Young Children's Reactions to War-Related Stress: A Survey and Assessment of an Innovative Intervention. Pediatrics 121: 46-53.
Interventions
Arm 1: Children will be given a stuffed animal toy to take care of combined with positive caregiving instructions. They will keep the toy with them most of the time and will be instructed to comfort and take care of it. The effect of intervention will be assessed after three weeks.
Arm 2: Children will be given a stuffed animal toy to take care of combined with caregiving instructions. In addition, children will be given explicit positive statements to convey to the toy related to the toy’s self
Arm 1: Children will be given a stuffed animal toy to take care of combined with positive caregiving instructions. They will keep the toy with them most of the time and will be instructed to comfort and take care of it. The effect of intervention will be assessed after three weeks. Arm 2: Children will be given a stuffed animal toy to take care of combined with caregiving instructions. In addition, children will be given explicit positive statements to convey to the toy related to the toy’s self, people around it and its future. The effect of intervention will be assessed after three weeks.
Sponsors
Macquarie University
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
5 Years to 9 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
a. Children who have experienced stressful life events, staying at a shelter home, being taken care of by a caregiver other than parents. b. Can follow and respond to general instructions c. Does not have severe hearing or vision problems d. Does not have serious settling problems in class or in groups.
Exclusion criteria
a. Children who have not shown any post-traumatic stress reactions as reported by the caregiver b. Children who score below the clinical cut-off point on the CRIES-8 scale for children.
Outcome results
None listed