The Effects of Group Sand play on the Psychological Health and Resilience of Street Children and Adolescents in Uganda

Abstract

The authors analysed the effects of group Sandplay therapy on adolescents' psychological health and resilience in a mixed-method research. They explored and categorized the themes these adolescents expressed during therapy. Fifteen children (n=15) were recruited for the study; (Boarding school children = 5; Day school children = 5; Street children = 5). The selection process was conducted in cooperation with an orphanage in Kabale, Uganda. The children who participated in the study underwent a forty-five-minute sand play therapy every week for nine weeks. The SDQ and RCADS were administered to the groups both pre- and post-intervention, with the data entered and analysed using SPSS. Group sandplay was found to significantly decrease the adolescents' internalizing problems such as anxiety and depression, while their resilience had also significantly improved. The narrative analysis, in turn, yielded seven themes: basic needs; community-love-celebration; giving help-leadership-empowerment; security-danger, recreation-self-development-self-nurturance, education, and seeking help-faith.