Effects of sandplay group therapy on children at risk of suicidal ideation
Abstract Background The recent surge in suicide rates of children and adolescents in Korea has become a social problem. Suicide and suicide attempts begin in children and adolescents and continue to progress, leading to serious suicide and suicide attempts, so early intervention is essential. This s...
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03150-9 |
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| author | Heajin Shin Ok Kim Min Sun Kim Youngil Lee Kyoung Min Kim Do Hyun Kim Chang Min Lee Se-Hoon Shim Myung Ho Lim |
| author_facet | Heajin Shin Ok Kim Min Sun Kim Youngil Lee Kyoung Min Kim Do Hyun Kim Chang Min Lee Se-Hoon Shim Myung Ho Lim |
| author_sort | Heajin Shin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The recent surge in suicide rates of children and adolescents in Korea has become a social problem. Suicide and suicide attempts begin in children and adolescents and continue to progress, leading to serious suicide and suicide attempts, so early intervention is essential. This study investigated the effects of group sandplay therapy on depression, anxiety, and self-esteem in children at a risk of suicidal ideation. Methods This was a non-randomized, controlled trial. After recruiting 63 subjects at risk for suicidal ideation through convenience sampling based on a preliminary survey, the subjects were divided into a sandplay group therapy (SGT) group and a control group. The control group did not receive interventional therapy, whereas the SGT group received 10 sessions of sandplay therapy once a week, 40 min each. The clinical assessment instruments used were the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-Junior (SIQ-JR), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC), Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 25.0, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used. Results Sandplay group therapy significantly reduced depression and anxiety in the SGT group at risk of suicidal thoughts compared to the control group, and also significantly improved self-esteem. Conclusion 10-week sandplay group therapy was effective in reducing depression and anxiety in children and improving self-esteem in children at risk of suicidal thoughts. The results of these interventions, first attempted in Korea, suggest that sandplay group therapy in schools can be an effective intervention for children and adolescents at risk of suicide. (Clinical Research Information Service (CRiS) of Republic of Korea, Registration Number: KCT0010738, Registration Date: 2025.07.09.) |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9f43c6ff7f25426ba0d04b61a5fd14d8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2050-7283 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-9f43c6ff7f25426ba0d04b61a5fd14d82025-08-20T03:42:04ZengBMCBMC Psychology2050-72832025-07-011311910.1186/s40359-025-03150-9Effects of sandplay group therapy on children at risk of suicidal ideationHeajin Shin0Ok Kim1Min Sun Kim2Youngil Lee3Kyoung Min Kim4Do Hyun Kim5Chang Min Lee6Se-Hoon Shim7Myung Ho Lim8Department of Psychology, Graduate School, Dankook UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Graduate School, Dankook UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Graduate School, Dankook UniversityDepartment of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Dankook UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Dankook UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Dankook UniversityDepartment of Neurology, College of Medicine, Dankook UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Graduate School, Dankook UniversityAbstract Background The recent surge in suicide rates of children and adolescents in Korea has become a social problem. Suicide and suicide attempts begin in children and adolescents and continue to progress, leading to serious suicide and suicide attempts, so early intervention is essential. This study investigated the effects of group sandplay therapy on depression, anxiety, and self-esteem in children at a risk of suicidal ideation. Methods This was a non-randomized, controlled trial. After recruiting 63 subjects at risk for suicidal ideation through convenience sampling based on a preliminary survey, the subjects were divided into a sandplay group therapy (SGT) group and a control group. The control group did not receive interventional therapy, whereas the SGT group received 10 sessions of sandplay therapy once a week, 40 min each. The clinical assessment instruments used were the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-Junior (SIQ-JR), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC), Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 25.0, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used. Results Sandplay group therapy significantly reduced depression and anxiety in the SGT group at risk of suicidal thoughts compared to the control group, and also significantly improved self-esteem. Conclusion 10-week sandplay group therapy was effective in reducing depression and anxiety in children and improving self-esteem in children at risk of suicidal thoughts. The results of these interventions, first attempted in Korea, suggest that sandplay group therapy in schools can be an effective intervention for children and adolescents at risk of suicide. (Clinical Research Information Service (CRiS) of Republic of Korea, Registration Number: KCT0010738, Registration Date: 2025.07.09.)https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03150-9SuicideSandplay group therapy (SGT)ChildIntervention effect |
| spellingShingle | Heajin Shin Ok Kim Min Sun Kim Youngil Lee Kyoung Min Kim Do Hyun Kim Chang Min Lee Se-Hoon Shim Myung Ho Lim Effects of sandplay group therapy on children at risk of suicidal ideation BMC Psychology Suicide Sandplay group therapy (SGT) Child Intervention effect |
| title | Effects of sandplay group therapy on children at risk of suicidal ideation |
| title_full | Effects of sandplay group therapy on children at risk of suicidal ideation |
| title_fullStr | Effects of sandplay group therapy on children at risk of suicidal ideation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of sandplay group therapy on children at risk of suicidal ideation |
| title_short | Effects of sandplay group therapy on children at risk of suicidal ideation |
| title_sort | effects of sandplay group therapy on children at risk of suicidal ideation |
| topic | Suicide Sandplay group therapy (SGT) Child Intervention effect |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03150-9 |
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