IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 4364: Associations between Pretend Play, Psychological Functioning and Coping Strategies in Pediatric Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Illness Study

IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 4364: Associations between Pretend Play, Psychological Functioning and Coping Strategies in Pediatric Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Illness Study International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph17124364 Authors: Daniela Di Riso Elena Cambrisi Simone Bertini Marina Miscioscia Children with chronic illnesses are called to undertake complicated processes of adjustment and re-organization in their daily lives; as a result, they could experience several internalizing problems. Symbolic play could be a useful way to cope with these difficulties. The main aim of this paper is to assess pretend play, coping, and psychological symptoms in three groups of school-aged children with pediatric chronic diseases. The study involved 44 Italian school-aged, chronically ill children: 16 with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), 12 with cystic fibrosis (CF), and 15 with Leukemia. All patients were assessed by the Affect in Play Scale–Brief version (APS-Br), and the Children’s Coping Strategies Checklist–Revision1 (CCSC-R1). Children with T1DM and CF also completed the Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory for Children (SASI-C) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)–children’s version. Cohen’s d (effect size) was applied between clinical and normative samples, and it showed a more organized play (APS-BR), but a more negative affect t...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research