Experiences of Emotional Healing After Figurines Intervention in Rural Thai Primary School Children: A Mixed-method Study.
Saifon Aekwarangkoon, Linda Denise Oakley
PMID 41185860WHAT IT FOUND
Children with mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms reported gaining self-awareness, emotional healing, and personal growth after using figurines.
Their depression scores decreased, but the small sample and lack of control group mean this shows potential, not proven efficacy.
Key findings
01All 22 participants showed a decrease in individual depression scores after the intervention.
02The mean depression score for the group of 22 students decreased from 10.05 to 4.09 on the PHQ-A scale.
03Qualitative analysis identified three themes: awakening self-awareness, emotional healing, and developing personal growth.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
There was no control group, so it is impossible to know if the improvement was due to the figurines, the attention received, or natural fluctuation. The study was small, with only 22 students in the quantitative phase and 9 in the qualitative phase. Participants were selected because they were willing to engage with the intervention, which may introduce bias. Follow-up was immediate; there is no data on whether the benefits lasted over time. The intervention was delivered by trained nursing students and a psychiatric nurse, so results may not generalize to settings without this specific expertise.
Declared interests
The study was part of a larger project funded by Path 2 Health. No specific commercial conflicts of interest were declared in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that figurine therapy is a proven treatment for depression in children. The study lacked a control group, so the observed decrease in symptoms cannot be definitively attributed to the intervention rather than natural variation or the supportive environment.