Bibliotherapy Combined With Games to Reduce Fear of the Dark in Young Children

Efficacy of Bibliotherapy Combined With Games to Reduce Fear of the Dark in Young Children: Results From a Clinical Trial

Intense fear of the dark is a common issue among children, which can interfere with their daily functioning at family, social, and academic levels. This study aims to analyse the effectiveness of a psychotherapeutic intervention based on bibliotherapy combined with play to overcome the fear of the dark in children between 4 and 8 years old. A total of 38 children participated, who were assigned to the experimental and control conditions on the waiting list. The bibliotherapy intervention in the experimental condition involved reading a book and playing the games proposed in each chapter. The intervention was applied by parents at home with their children (during 4-5 weeks) and contained cognitive-behavioural techniques, such as gradual in vivo exposure, relaxation techniques, modelling and positive reinforcement, among others. It is expected that children's nighttime fears will decrease significantly and there will be significant improvements in nighttime behaviour.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being between 4 and 8 years old
• Obtaining a score of 32 or higher on the Parent Version of the Nighttime Fears Scale (NFS-P; Orgilés et al., 2024)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not being within the established age range
• Scoring less than 31on the Parent Version of the Nighttime Fears Scale (NFS-P; Orgilés et al., 2024)