Therapeutic play and the impact on anxiety in hospitalized children

Zahr's (1998) study supported the use of puppet shows, as therapeutic play, to decrease anxiety in hospitalized preschoolers. The results of this study support our group's research utilization project to educate nurses on the effects of therapeutic play on anxiety levels in hospitalized children. Nurses could use this information to implement therapeutic play in hospitals throughout the world. Feasibility issues would include the cost of materials needed and the time involved to educate nurses. More research should be done on therapeutic play as a method to decrease anxiety in children. Future research could be conducted using other cultures or age groups.