Biomaterial Database

Theme-focused group therapy on a pediatric ward. 1975

D H Cofer, and Y Nir

Hospitalization for children may be a traumatic experience which can result in varying degrees of depression and anxiety. To help children deal with their negative reactions to illness and hospitalization the departments of psychiatry and pediatrics at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York introduced a program of theme-focused group sessions for pediatric patients. The group concerned itself with issues of the hospital experience including 1) lack of, or distortion of, factual information, and 2) fantasies, fears and anxieties related to hospitalization. The group also served as a diagnostic tool by allowing the observation of children's reactions to their hospitalization; as an educational experience for non-psychiatric hospital personnel to learn about children's development and psychological functioning; and to reduce the anxiety level of the children, lessen hyperactivity, aggressiveness, and resistance to hospital procedures.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D011606	Psychosexual Development	The stages of development of the psychological aspects of sexuality from birth to adulthood; i.e., oral, anal, genital, and latent periods.	Anal Stage,Phallic Stage,Anal Stages,Development, Psychosexual,Developments, Psychosexual,Phallic Stages,Psychosexual Developments,Stage, Anal,Stage, Phallic,Stages, Anal,Stages, Phallic
D011615	Psychotherapy, Group	A form of therapy in which two or more patients participate under the guidance of one or more psychotherapists for the purpose of treating emotional disturbances, social maladjustments, and psychotic states.	Group Therapy,Group Psychotherapy,Therapy, Group
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002673	Child, Hospitalized	Child hospitalized for short term care.	Hospitalized Child,Children, Hospitalized,Hospitalized Children
D003717	Denial, Psychological	Refusal to admit the truth or reality of a situation or experience.	Denial, Psychology,Psychological Denial
D005239	Fear	The affective response to an actual current external danger which subsides with the elimination of the threatening condition.	Threat Cues,Threat Sensitivity,Cue, Threat,Fears,Sensitivity, Threat,Threat Cue,Threat Sensitivities
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001294	Attitude to Health	Public attitudes toward health, disease, and the medical care system.	Health Attitude,Attitude, Health,Attitudes, Health,Health Attitudes,Health, Attitude to