Empowering Exceptional Children

Empowering Exceptional Children

Comparing the Effectiveness of Child-Centered Mindfulness Training and Drawing Therapy on Loneliness and Behavioral Problems of Hearing Impaired Children

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
khalid Ahmadnejad 1
ali Shaker 2
ali khademi 3
1 . Ph.D. student in general psychology, Islamic Azad University, Urmia branch, Urmia, Iran
2 . Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Urmia branch, Urmia, Iran. Corresponding Author, Email: ali.shaker2000@gmail.com
3 Professor, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Urmia branch, Urmia, Iran
10.22034/ceciranj.2024.420837.1808
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of child-centered mindfulness training and art therapy on loneliness and behavioral problems in children with hearing impairment in the city of Bukan. This research, considering its applied purpose, was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest structure. The research method was semi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design. The study population consisted of children with hearing impairment who attended the Bukan counseling center. A total of 45 participants were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (30 participants in the experimental groups and 15 in the control group). The research instruments included the child-centered mindfulness training package, the Liebmann art therapy training package, and two questionnaires: the Asher et al. (1984) Loneliness Scale and the Quay & Peterson (RBPC) Behavioral Problems Questionnaire for children and adolescents. Hypothesis testing was conducted using covariance analysis (ANCOVA) in SPSS v26. The findings indicate that art therapy had an effect of 0.802 on loneliness, while child-centered mindfulness training had an effect of 0.311 on loneliness (p < 0.05). Additionally, art therapy reduced behavioral problems by 0.386, while child-centered mindfulness training reduced behavioral problems by 0.567 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the results suggest that art therapy was more effective than mindfulness training in reducing loneliness in children with hearing impairment, whereas child-centered mindfulness training was more effective than art therapy in reducing behavioral problems in these children (p < 0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that art therapy is effective in treating loneliness, while child-centered mindfulness training is effective in addressing behavioral problems in children with hearing impairment.
Keywords
feeling alone
mindfulness
hearing loss
behavioral problems of children
painting therapy

Subjects

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  • Receive Date 15 October 2023
  • Revise Date 03 November 2023
  • Accept Date 09 July 2024