Rukunga, Caroline K.(Daystar University, School of Human and Social Sciences, October , 2020)
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Abstract:
Children affected by HIV-related loss go through considerable levels of physical and
psychosocial challenges which may result into psychological disorders such as
depression and anxiety. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of
Art Therapy in treating depression and anxiety in children of ages 8-12, with HIV-
related loss in Chosen Children of Promise (CCP) and Amka Health Project (AHP), in
Nairobi County, Kenya. A quasi-experimental research design involving experimental
and control groups was conducted using 100 participants, 50 from each organization
who met the inclusion criteria. Simple random sampling procedure was used to select
the required sample size. The research instruments included social demographic
questionnaire, Children Depression Inventory (CDI), and Screen for Child Anxiety
Related Disorders (SCARED). The reliability and validity of the above instruments is
assured as studies have indicated that SCARED has good psychometric properties for
children and adolescents of different cultures and CDI has good psychometric
properties of a=.71-.94. Art Therapy (AT), specifically Tree of Life (ToL) was used to
treat Anxiety and Depression. Study findings revealed a depression prevalence of 58.1%
and an anxiety prevalence of 88.6%. The DiD estimates showed a declining trend on
depression and anxiety scores of the participants depicting a highly statistically
significant reduction in symptoms at endline (p= <0.0001), implying that Art Therapy
was effective in treating both disorders. It is recommended that organizations and
individuals dealing with children affected by HIV-related loss can offer them culturally
and developmentally appropriate evidence-based interventions in order to promote their
psychological well-being.
