Trauma-informed art and play therapy: Pilot study outcomes for children and mothers in domestic violence shelters in the United States and South Africa.

Child Abuse & Neglect
Nataly WoollettAbigail Hatcher

Abstract

While intimate partner violence (IPV) has well documented impact on women and children, few interventions have been tested for mothers and children in the domestic violence shelter system. We used mixed methods to explore effects of a pilot intervention combining trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) (verbal therapy method) with art and play therapy (non-verbal therapy methods) in New York City and Johannesburg, to compare efficacy between high and low-middle income contexts. School-aged children and their mothers from one domestic violence shelter in each city were invited to participate. Children were screened for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Children participated in a weekly group session lasting 1-2 hours over 12 weeks and mothers received 3 group sessions. Quantitative data comprised pre-and post-intervention child self-reports (n = 21) and mother's report (n = 16) of child depressive and PTSD symptoms. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with children (n = 11) and mothers (n = 8) who completed the intervention. At baseline, children showed high rates of symptoms of probable depression and probable PTSD (33 % and 66 % respectively). By endline, depressive symptoms significan...Continue Reading

Citations

Jul 3, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Mariana-Daniela González-Zamar, Emilio Abad-Segura

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