CHILD-DIRECTED HEALING PLAY
EVALUATION STUDY REPORT:
RefugeZimbabwe
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PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
ThestudyaimedtoevaluatetheeffectivenessofChild-DirectedHealingPlay (CDHP)inimprovingemotionalregulationandstudent-teacherrelationships amongprimary-agedchildreninZimbabwe
RATIONALE
Mentalhealthchallengesareincreasingamongchildrenandadolescentsin Zimbabwe,exacerbatedbyalackoftrainedprofessionalsandthestigmaaround mentalhealthCDHPwasdevelopedtoaddressthisgapinschool-basedmental healthsupport
INTERVENTION OVERVIEW
CDHPisastructured,play-basedinterventiondesignedforresourceconstrainedenvironmentsIttrainsteacherstodeliverpsychosocialsupport throughplay,focusingonemotionalregulationandtherapeuticrelationships
METHODOLOGY
Thestudyusedaquasi-experimentaldesignwithpre-testandpost-test measurementsItincluded431childrenfromsevenprivateprimaryschoolsin Harare,with62childrenparticipatingintheCDHPsessions
KEY INSTRUMENTS
Datawerecollectedusingseveraltools,includingtheAdverseChildhood Experiences(ACEs)questionnaire,YouthOutcomeQuestionnaires(YOQs),the EmotionalRegulationChecklist(ERC),andtheStudent-TeacherRelationship Scale(STRS)
EMOTIONAL REGULATION
ThestudyfoundthatCDHPhadasignificantpositiveeffectonemotional regulationamongparticipatingchildren,asindicatedbyalowp-value(p= 0002724)Theinterventionwasbelievedtohaveimprovedemotional regulation
STUDENT-TEACHER RELATIONSHIPS
Whiletherewasnostatisticallysignificantimprovementinconflictlevels, therewasatrendtowardsimprovedclosenessbetweenstudentsandteachers (p=005355)Itcanbesaidthattheinterventionresultedinimproved closenessinstudent-teacherrelationships
QUALITATIVE FINDINGS
TeachersreportedhigheffectivenessinapplyingCDHPtechniques,with positivechangesinstudentbehaviorandincreasedemotionalconnection betweenstudentsandteachers
IMPACT ON TEACHERS
Theinterventionalsopositivelyaffectedteachers,enhancingtheirempathyand understandingofchildren'sexperiences,whichimprovedtheirabilityto facilitatethehealingprocess
RECOMMENDATIONS
Thereportsuggestsfurtherresearchindifferentsocio-economicsettings, adjustmentstosessiontimingandmaterials,andadditionalsessionsto strengthentherapeuticoutcomesFollow-upstudiesarerecommendedto assessthelong-termimpactofCDHP
