Impact of bibliotherapy in stress reduction among hospitalized children in Western India

Background: Being hospitalized, every individual may experience a wide range of short-term or long-term consequences. Hospitalization is not only physical stress, but there are other factors that negatively affect a patient's psychology. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of bibliotherapy in stress reduction among 9–12 years aged hospitalized children. Materials and Methods: In the research, preexperimental research approach and one group pretest–posttest research design were applied. The study was conducted at Umaid Hospital, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, among 60 hospitalized children. A nonprobability purposive sampling technique was applied for sample selection. Results: The mean posttest stress score (15.35) was less than the mean pretest stress score (24.82). The findings highlighted that bibliotherapy was statistically significant (P < 0.0001) in the reduction of stress of hospitalized children. In terms of association, only the education of children was associated with the stress levels of the children. Conclusion: The findings of the research concluded that bibliotherapy is an effective intervention in stress reduction among hospitalized children. The administrators may utilize this cost-effective intervention in clinical settings for declining stress among children and the adult population.