Tell Me A Story: Promoting resiliency in military children with a bibliotherapy intervention.

PURPOSE: Research demonstrates the complex effect of the military lifestyle on children of military members. Problem behaviors can manifest in military children as young as 6 years old (eg, physical violence). Some military children have better outcomes (ie, resiliency). These differences in outcomes are not fully understood; literature agrees that parent's interaction with their children predicts resiliency. Nurses can utilize resiliency interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of families. Tell Me A Story (TMAS), a bibliotherapy intervention, role models for parents reading with their children, using story as a platform to deal with issues in a safe way. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if child resiliency increased and problem behavior decreased with TMAS participation. DESIGN AND METHODS: A community-based study examined the impact of TMAS intervention on parent's perceptions of their school-aged children's behavior. Participants were active-duty military parents, recruited on or near seven military installations in the continental United States. RESULTS: Child problem behavior showed a change from baseline, with sex and parental deployment factoring for improved or worsening behavior among children. Total and internalizing problem behavior scores increased after intervention if a parent was deployed. Girls experienced increased resiliency scores after TMAS intervention while boys experienced decreased scores. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Overall, TMAS intervention is beneficial for behavior and resiliency for some children and provides research for future programming offered by nurses for military families.

Rethinking bibliotherapy: a neurorhetoric narratology model for addiction treatment.

This study sought to revise the collection development policy for a bibliotherapy library used by the residents at a women's AOD treatment centre in Tampa, Florida (USA). The research was conducted by Peter Cannon as part of his PhD on rhetoric and reading therapies. The article summarises the key findings from a reading preference survey of the residents and a semi-structured group interview of the mental health professionals at the centre. The results are used to support the development of a new bibliotherapy model that Peter has termed neurorhetoric narratology. Preliminary findings suggest this new model can offer the residents a new bibliotherapy track that employs less emotionally triggering texts that will be useful for treatment.

Storybook-based communication intervention for girls with Rett syndrome and their mothers.

PURPOSE: Storybook reading provides a natural language learning context in which to support early symbolic communication. In this study, we explored the impact of (1) resting hand splints, (2) light tech augmentative communication systems such as voice-output devices and symbols, and (3) very basic parent training on the symbolic communication and labelling behaviours of six girls with Rett syndrome. METHOD: Mothers and daughters were videotaped as they read familiar and unfamiliar storybooks in their homes. RESULTS: Group and individual data collected from the six girls indicated that they became more active and successful participants in the interactions during storybook reading. The girls employed a wider range of communication modes and increased the frequency of their labelling. Familiar storybook reading encouraged greater symbolic communication than unfamiliar storybooks in half the girls. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that motivated parents may not require expensive technologies or lengthy training in order to enhance their children's early communication and participation in storybook reading.

Comparing mind-body wellness interventions for older adults with chronic illness: classroom versus home instruction.

Two versions of a multicomponent mind-body wellness intervention were tested. One hundred seventy-eight physician-referred HMO patients (mean age = 64.5) were randomly assigned to a classroom intervention, a home study intervention, or a wait-list control group. Both interventions provided instruction on mind-body relationships, relaxation training, cognitive restructuring, problem solving, communication, behavioral treatment for insomnia, nutrition, and exercise. The home version was delivered by class videotapes and readings. Compared with the control condition, both interventions led to significant decreases in self-reports of pain, sleep difficulties, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The home course also led to a significant decrease in self-reported frequency of medical symptoms, and the classroom program resulted in a significant decrease in "chance" health locus of control beliefs. No effects were obtained for health behaviors, life satisfaction, HMO satisfaction, and other health locus of control beliefs. A lower cost, more accessible home study version of a mind-body wellness program can be an effective alternative to classroom instruction.

Cognitive bibliotherapy for mild and moderate adolescent depressive symptomatology.

The efficacy of cognitive bibliotherapy for adolescents experiencing mild and moderate depressive symptomatology was examined with a group of 22 community-dwelling adolescents. Cognitive bibliotherapy was determined to be superior to a delayed-treatment control condition. The treatment produced both statistically and clinically significant improvements in depressive symptoms. Treatment gains were maintained at 1-month follow-up. A significant decrease in dysfunctional thoughts, but not in negative automatic thoughts, was found after treatment. These results contribute to converging evidence on the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatments for adolescents experiencing depressive symptoms.

Bibliotherapy in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions: a meta-analysis.

This article describes the combined effect of 12 controlled studies of bibliotherapy for sexual dysfunctions, comprising data on 397 participants, who were treated in 16 bibliotherapy groups. A mean effect size of 0.68 SDs at posttreatment was found (0.50 when weighted for sample size). This effect eroded at follow-up. No influence on effect size was found for either bibliotherapy implementation characteristics or study methodology. Studies were largely limited to bibliotherapeutic administration of the directed practice approach to orgasmic disorders. The efficacy of bibliotherapy has not yet been investigated sufficiently for evaluation of its use for other sexual dysfunctions or for its comparison with other therapeutic approaches for sexual dysfunctions.

Bibliotherapy in unipolar depression: a meta-analysis.

In the last decades, several therapies for unipolar depression have been developed, for example cognitive therapy, behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy. A new kind of therapy is bibliotherapy. What is new in this treatment modality is not the content, because bibliotherapy usually uses a cognitive-behavioral approach. Only the form in which it is presented is new. In bibliotherapy the patient takes a standardized treatment home, in book form, and works it through more or less independently. Contacts with therapists are only supportive or facilitative. No traditional relationship between therapist and patient is developed. In this article the relevance of bibliotherapy for the clinical practice is presented and a meta-analysis of the research into bibliotherapy is described.

Three-year follow-up of bibliotherapy for depression.

This study examined the durability of cognitive bibliotherapy for mild to moderately depressed adults by conducting a 3-year follow-up of participants from a previous study (C. Jamison & F. Scogin, 1995). The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Beck Depression Inventory, and questions relating to participants' perceptions of the program were administered. Results indicated that treatment gains were maintained over the 3-year follow-up period and support the usefulness of cognitive bibliotherapy as an adjunct to traditional treatment modalities in a general adult population.

Bibliotherapy as an adjunct to stimulant medication in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The effectiveness of bibliotherapy as an adjunct to stimulant medication in the treatment of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was investigated. Subjects were randomly assigned to the experimental group, or the control group. Parents in the experimental group received a written protocol (bibliotherapy) outlining behavioral techniques for managing oppositional child behavior. Results indicated significant differences favoring the experimental group on standardized measures of the intensity of behavior problems in the home, parental knowledge of behavioral principles, and teacher ratings of behavior. This bibliotherapy approach appears to offer an inexpensive adjunct to stimulant medication in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder when individual or group behavior management training is not feasible.

Bibliotherapy. The therapeutic use of books for women.

Bibliotherapy is the use of literature to help heal. It can be an effective intervention for nurse-midwives to use with clients. Presented is a discussion of how to do bibliotherapy and an annotated bibliography of resources.

Using books to prevent and treat adolescent chemical dependency.

This article presents strategies for using the bibliotherapeutic process to prevent and treat adolescent alcohol and drug abuse. Definitions, goals, and principles of bibliotherapy are overviewed. Synopses of several useful books that focus on chemical dependency are presented.

You are what you read. The use of bibliotherapy to facilitate psychotherapy.

1. In the course of therapy with individuals or couples, it is sometimes helpful to suggest reading specific material to assist in the therapeutic process. 2. It is important that the therapist be totally familiar with the recommended material and have a specific purpose for the recommendation. 3. The therapeutic interaction, rather than the reading of material, is the focus of the treatment. 4. Such reading may prove helpful because it becomes an educational experience and comprehension of a concept is increased; the material can be "validating" when written by someone unknown to the client who has had a shared experience; and it can remove a struggle for control from the therapeutic relationship by giving information or opinions directly to the client.