Doctor of Philosophy Dissertations

Permanent URI for this community

https://repository.daystar.ac.ke/handle/123456789/2935

Browse

Browsing Doctor of Philosophy Dissertations by Subject "Anxiety and Depression"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Effectiveness of Art Therapy in Treating Anxiety and Depression among Children Affected By HIV-Related Loss: A Study of Two Children’s Organizations in Nairobi County, Kenya
    (Daystar University, School of Human and Social Sciences, 2020-10) Rukunga, Caroline K.
    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.