Case Study: The Use of Storytelling Interventions to Reduce Hospitalization Anxiety in Preschool-Aged Children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56359/igj.v5i3.1104Keywords:
Storytelling, Anxiety About Hospitalization, Preschool-Aged Children, Atraumatic CareAbstract
Background & Objective: Hospitalization is an experience that can cause anxiety in preschool-aged children due to separation from a familiar environment, exposure to medical procedures, and an unfamiliar hospital environment, which can disrupt the child's comfort, healing process, and emotional development. Therefore, atraumatic care nursing interventions appropriate to the child's developmental stage are needed, one of which is storytelling therapy as a non-pharmacological intervention, with the aim of explaining the application of storytelling therapy in reducing hospitalization anxiety in preschool-aged children.
Method: This study used a descriptive case study design conducted in the inpatient ward of a hospital in Central Jakarta on two preschool-aged children experiencing hospitalization anxiety, with a purposive sampling technique. The intervention was storytelling therapy for 10–15 minutes, performed once a day for three consecutive days with different stories. Anxiety levels were measured using a faces scale instrument five minutes before and after the intervention, and data were analyzed descriptively.
Result: The results showed a gradual decrease in anxiety levels in both children up to the third day, accompanied by increased eye contact, more cooperative behavior, and reduced restless responses.
Conclusion: Storytelling therapy is effective in reducing hospitalization anxiety in preschool-aged children and can be applied as an atraumatic care nursing intervention to improve children's comfort and cooperation during treatment.
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