o determine constructive methods to help
children decrease anxiety, negative behavior and weight gain using a semantic
differential scale. With the fact that there are numerous methods used in this type of
research we concentrated on two forms of therapy. The first being Filial therapy through
child and family interactions and the second form being play therapy where there are
various playful techniques that help children explore their emotions. In this research
design, the Variable name is Therapy, the first IV; Filial Therapy and the second IV;
Play Therapy. The DV’s are the methods used throughout both therapies and observing
which one has a higher rate of success. As stated above, our first therapy type is Filial,
in this type of therapy we will have children spend time with their family making lists of
their favorite foods and ranking them from the most healthy to the least, they can cut-out
pictures and create a vision board of what they believe is a healthy lifestyle. Another
activity that could be performed during Filial therapy is constructing a healthy eating
regiment adding more fruits/vegetables and a certain amount of calories would be
evaluated. During play therapy, children would receive puppets and ask to act out their
emotions during certain situations, and then also asked to perform various physical
activities in order to measure their abilities.
Methods
(Submit approximately 1 page; 15 points)
The methods being used are Play Therapy and Filial Therapy. Through these therapies
we are going to test to see which therapy the children ages 2-12 respond to more. For
Play Therapy we are going to give the children puppets and ask them to act out
emotions as well as having the children perform different physical activities such as
jump rope, tag, etc. For Filial Therapy we will construct an eating regimen that they
would follow which would include vegetables and fruits and have the children and
parent follow a calorie diet of 1,200 calories per day as well as a dietary supplement.
Much like in “A review of Play Therapy Interventions for Chronic Illness: Applications to
Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment.” The scale we are going to be using to
measure is the semantic differential scale.
1) IV 1
a. Play Therapy
b. Level 1: Give children puppets and have them act out emotions. Level 2:
Have children perform different physical activities like jump rope, tag etc.
c. We will use the semantic differential scale to measure the children’s
emotions/feelings.
d. We will measure it by assigning a number with a facial feature on the
scale.
e. Participants will be in one condition.
2) IV 2
a. Filial Therapy
b. Level 1: Construct an eating regimen for both parent and child consisting
of vegetables and fruits Level 2: Have both parent and child follow a
calorie diet of 1,200 per day as well as a Dietary Supplement.
c. We will use the likert scale to measure the satisfaction of the therapy
d. We will have a questionnaire for the parents and children asking if they
Agree or Disagree that the regimen works.
e. Participants will be in one condition.
3) DV
a. Anxiety
b. We will measure it by using Semantic Differential scale.
c. We created a scale that matched emotions and used it to see how participants
felt.
d. We referenced “A review of Play Therapy Interventions for Chronic Illness:
Applications to Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment” to see what types
of measurements we can use.
Results
(Submit approximately ½ a page; 10 points)
Family therapy(IV1) will encompass positive outcomes like decreased parental
stress (DV)and increased acceptance of the child.FL helps parents acquire more
effective parenting skills , children’s behavioral problems improve and together they
develop a more positive affectionate relationship. In regards to the two levels parent and
child interaction (lV2) will have higher scores than play therapy(LV1) in reducing the
anxiety levels because through parent and child interaction play can happen too.
In the CBT(IV2) will have a major effect on anxiety level(DV) by changing negative
thoughts thus changing the way they feel for both parents and children leading to a
decrease in the anxiety level (DV). In regards to the two levels I think weight loss pills
(LV2) will have higher scores than short term goal change patterns of thinking (LV1)
because it’s easier to lose weight with taking pills than changing eating habits.
I predict that the best strategy for filial therapy( IV1) for reducing anxiety and
treating chronic illness (DV) will depend on whether the strategy used is play or family
interaction. Filial therapy should be more successful if family interaction is used. CBT
should be more successful if weight loss pills are used.
Discussion
(Submit approximately ½ a page; 10 points)
With family system enhancement encompassed positive outcomes like decreased parental stress
and increased acceptance of their child following a play therapy intervention. Although one
study cited a relationship change following Filial therapy and parental acceptance of the child,
there are much more bidirectional outcomes that can be measured in families with a child
diagnosed with a chronic illness. The long-term consequences of untreated childhood conditions,
including obesity, can be economically and emotionally costly to families.Play therapy holds
promise for delivering developmentally appropriate, cost-effective, and family-centered
therapeutic interventions for children diagnosed with a chronic illness. Research is done using a
strengths-based approach to the assessment of existing family strengths or areas of confidence
and use play therapy to extend these strengths to manage and cope with new behavior change or
illness management in the family. For example, parents who feel most confident in their skills
when preparing their child’s meal could build upon this by including the child in the meal prep
process to model healthy food preparation and eating a balanced and nutritious meal. Older
siblings may also be helpful in modeling healthy behaviors, due to their influential relationship
with the child diagnosed with a chronic illness.
The second theme of child psychological outcomes contained the most cited outcomes (n = 6).
The six articles detailed outcomes that emphasized both externalizing behaviors (discussed as
behavioral problems) and internalizing behaviors, such as anxiety and emotional expression. It is
important to note that no child’s social outcomes were assessed. For young children diagnosed
with a chronic illness, developing social skills and having positive peer relationships are
especially important because of the challenges due to the stigma associated with their illness and
medical treatment in school. Positive peer relationships are important protective factors for
children to keep their life “normal” during medical treatments and interventions. However,
research has consistently demonstrated that children with overweight or obesity commonly
experience weight bias and stigma from their peers.
In the final theme, child and parent perceived health behavior change, detailed family outcomes
in health care settings increased adherence to treatment, comfort with medical procedures,
increased adjustment to illness. The quantitative research in this theme focused on children
diagnosed with diabetes and associated outcomes for example, blood sugar levels. This theme
demonstrated how a multidisciplinary health care team could support the goals of the entire
family in the health care system through assessing family’s experiences in health care and their
satisfaction with treatment and the health care team. For example, in the childhood obesity
literature, researchers have become increasingly interested in child and parent satisfaction and
alliance with the health care team in hopes of decreasing higher attrition rates from obesity
treatment programs.
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