Posıtıve Psychology-Based Art Therapy In Hospıtalızed Chıldren

NCT07735364 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 01/07/2026 (125/10)1919B012545797
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Pediatric hospitalization is known to be associated with negative developmental and psychosocial outcomes for child patients. Art therapy is a way to directly address the emotional world of hospitalized children. This research is significant both scientifically and clinically as an innovative intervention aimed at reducing the negative effects of pediatric hospitalization on the psychosocial and emotional development of children. It is believed that the research will contribute to a holistic approach to nursing care and lead to the development of scientifically based interventions in clinical practice. Furthermore, this research will provide nurses with evidence-based information that can guide them in implementing and evaluating self-compassion and empathy-focused care strategies that support children's psychosocial well-being. In this respect, the research directly contributes to nursing practice and provides transferable outcomes. This research was planned to examine the effect of positive psychology-based art therapy on self-compassion and hope levels in children aged 8-12 years hospitalized in a pediatric ward. The research will be conducted as a single-blind, randomized controlled experimental study with a pre-test, post-test design at Süleyman Demirel University Research and Application Hospital between June and December 31, 2026. Prior to the research, permission will be obtained from the scale administrators, participants, parents, ethics committee, and the institution. The sample will consist of 80 individuals (40 in the intervention group and 40 in the control group) who meet the inclusion criteria, are selected using simple randomization, and provide informed consent. The control group will receive no intervention; the pre-test will be administered on the first day, and the post-test on the day the intervention for the experimental group ends. The intervention group will receive art therapy three days a week for a total of five sessions; the pre-test will be administered on the first day, and the post-test on the last session. Data will be collected using the Personal Information Form (PIF) (Appendix 2), the Children's Hope Scale (CHS), and the Children's Self-Compassion Scale (CSCS). Data will be analyzed using the SPSS (Statistical Program for Social Sciences) statistical analysis software package, and statistical significance will be accepted as p \<0.05.

Conditions

Pediatric

Keywords

positive psychology; child; hope; art therapy; self-compassion

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Self-Compassion Scale for Children (SCS)

  Developed by Sutton et al. (2017) to assess the self-compassion levels of primary and secondary school students aged 8-12, the Turkish adaptation of this scale was made by Çakmak et al. (2018). The scale is a 12-item measurement tool that evaluates children's positive and negative thoughts and feelings about themselves. As a result of factor analysis conducted during the scale development process, the items were grouped under two factors: positive self-compassion (items 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10) and negative self-compassion (items 1, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12). Factor loadings ranged from .53 to .71 for positive self-compassion items and from .60 to .72 for negative self-compassion items. A general self-compassion score is obtained from the scale by reversing the negative items. Higher scores indicate a high level of self-compassion. The scale is implemented as a five-point Likert type scale ranging from "never" (1) to "always" (5).

  Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention (2 weeks)

• Children's Hope Scale (CHS)

  The Children's Hope Scale (CHS), adapted into Turkish by Atik and Kemer (2009), was developed by Snyder et al. (1997). It is a scale consisting of two dimensions: "pathways to achieve the goal" and "agency". The CHS can be used in children aged 8-16 years. The scale, consisting of 6 items in total, is rated according to a Likert-type rating scale as follows: "Never=1, Rarely=2, Sometimes=3, Often=4, Most of the time=5, and Always=6". The scale is scored by summing the points obtained from each item, with the highest possible score being 36 and the lowest being 6. Snyder et al. (1997) stated that hope consists of the sum of these two sub-dimensions, but that these sub-dimensions should not be used as separate dimensions, and therefore it is appropriate to calculate the internal consistency coefficient only for the total scale. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient for the entire scale varies between .72 and .86 for different samples (Atik and Kemer, 2009).

  Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention (2 weeks)

Study Arms (2)

Experimental Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm will receive Positive Psychology-Based Art Therapy in addition to routine pediatric nursing care.

Behavioral: Posıtıve Psychology-Based Art Therapy In Hospıtalızed Chıldren (PP-ArtChild)+Routine Pediatric Nursing Care

Control Group

OTHER

Participants in this arm will receive routine pediatric nursing care without the positive psychology-based art therapy intervention.

Other: Routine Pediatric Nursing Care

Interventions

Posıtıve Psychology-Based Art Therapy In Hospıtalızed Chıldren (PP-ArtChild)+Routine Pediatric Nursing Care BEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive a structured Positive Psychology-Based Art Therapy program in addition to routine pediatric nursing care. The intervention includes guided art-based activities designed to promote positive emotions, self-compassion, hope, emotional expression, and adaptive coping during hospitalization. Sessions will be delivered by the researcher according to a standardized intervention protocol.

Experimental Group

Routine Pediatric Nursing Care OTHER

Participants in the control group will not receive the Positive Psychology-Based Art Therapy intervention. They will receive routine pediatric nursing care only.

Control Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 8 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Children aged 8-12 years receiving inpatient treatment in the pediatric ward.
• Children hospitalized in the internal medicine units of the pediatric ward (diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, leukemia, enzyme deficiency, etc.)
• The patient must be conscious, able to communicate verbally, and participate in the procedures.
• Parental and child consent must be obtained.

You may not qualify if:

• The child's unwillingness to participate
• Children with acute neurological disorders, confusion, or communication difficulties.
• Children hospitalized in the surgical unit of the pediatric ward
• Patients in intensive care or isolation rooms.
• Children with severe psychiatric diagnoses (such as psychotic disorders, severe depression).
• The child having a health problem that prevents their participation in the intervention.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Suleyman Demirel University: lead

Study Officials

• sema soysal

  Suleyman Demirel University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Lecturer

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 24, 2026
• First Posted: July 30, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): September 14, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 26, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 30, 2027
• Last Updated: July 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share