Comment:
Hello, I would like to first provide some background info on my dissertation topic… Children undergoing long-term hospitalization typically suffer multi-dimensional trauma due to the unpredictable, overwhelming, and threatening nature of the experience. Consequently, hospitalized children are developing severe emotional, behavioral, and psychiatric symptoms and disorders, particularly post-traumatic stress responses and anxiety, as well as other morbidities. Gaining recognition in the literature as an effectual model for improving all dimensions of childrens wellbeing as well as fostering childrens rights is expressive therapy. The purpose of my study will be to examine the impact of expressive therapy on improving the holistic wellbeing of long-term hospitalized school-aged children facing the traumas of hospitalization. Specifically, this study will be guided by the theoretical insights from critical feminism, borrowing heavily from U.S. third world feminism. Hermeneutic (interpretive) phenomenology will be adopted as the guiding methodology in attempt to understand the hospitalized childrens experiences with expressive therapy and explicate meanings and assumptions in the participants texts. The following are my research questions for the study: 1) How does expressive therapy impact the holistic well-being of long-term hospitalized school-aged children? a. Does expressive therapy improve the holistic well-being of long-term hospitalized school-aged children? If so, how? b. Does expressive therapy empower long-term hospitalized school-aged children to use their voices? If so, how? c. What aspects of expressive therapy are less helpful to long-term hospitalized school-aged children? d. What expressive therapy forms/activities most engage long-term hospitalized school-aged children? The purpose of this literature review will be: 1) To synthesize the relevant literature on the topic. 2) To distinguish what has been done from what needs to be done (to identify gaps). 3) To identify the main methodologies/theoretical orientations/research techniques that have been used on this topic (And to additionally identify/address whether any studies on this topic have been written from a phenomenological and/or critical feminist perspective). 4) To identify studies on this topic which have focused specifically on the voices/perspectives of the children (no adult perspectives). 5) To identify which studies (on the topic) have focused on all aspects (psychological, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual) of the hospitalized children\’s well-being. Please address all types of expressive therapies (dance/movement, sand play, music, art, drama, writing, reading, cinema therapy) in the literature review. Please e-mail me with any questions. Thank you!
