Bibliotherapy Combined With Games to Reduce Fear of the Dark in Young Children

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Fear of the Dark; Nighttime Fears; Bibliotherapy

• Registration Number: NCT07067320
• Lead Sponsor: Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche

Brief Summary

Intense fear of the dark is a common issue among children, which can interfere with their daily functioning at family, social, and academic levels. This study aims to analyse the effectiveness of a psychotherapeutic intervention based on bibliotherapy combined with play to overcome the fear of the dark in children between 4 and 8 years old. A total of 38 children participated, who were assigned to the experimental and control conditions on the waiting list. The bibliotherapy intervention in the experimental condition involved reading a book and playing the games proposed in each chapter. The intervention was applied by parents at home with their children (during 4-5 weeks) and contained cognitive-behavioural techniques, such as gradual in vivo exposure, relaxation techniques, modelling and positive reinforcement, among others. It is expected that children's nighttime fears will decrease significantly and there will be significant improvements in nighttime behaviour.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2023-04-24
• Primary Completion: 2024-10-18
• Study Completion: 2024-10-18
• Study First Submitted: 2025-06-11
• Status Verified: 2025-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-07-14
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-07-14
• Study First Posted: 2025-07-16
• Last Update Posted: 2025-07-16

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 39

Inclusion Criteria

• Being between 4 and 8 years old
• Obtaining a score of 32 or higher on the Parent Version of the Nighttime Fears Scale (NFS-P; Orgilés et al., 2024)

Exclusion Criteria

• Not being within the established age range
• Scoring less than 31on the Parent Version of the Nighttime Fears Scale (NFS-P; Orgilés et al., 2024)

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Nighttime fears	Pre- and post-intervention assessment (treatment lasts 4-5 weeks). There will also be a follow-up assessment 12 months after the end of the intervention.	Parent Version of the Nighttime Fears Scale (NFS-P): The NFS-P assesses school-age children's level of fear at night, as reported by their parents. It contains four subscales: fear of nighttime features and distressing experiences (stimuli associated with darkness), fear of loss or separation from family (loss or non-presence of attachment figures and other family members), fear of imaginary stimuli (non-factual stimuli that may be likely to cause fear) and fear of real stimuli. It consists of 21 items that ask about night-time situations that are likely to cause fear in children. These items have a 5-point response scale, ranging from 0 (Not at all) to 4 (Very much). The higher the score, the greater the intensity of night-time fears.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Nighttime functioning	Pre- and post-intervention assessment (treatment lasts 4-5 weeks). There will also be a follow-up assessment 12 months after the end of the intervention.	Nighttime Behaviors Questionnaire for Children - Parent-reported (NBQC-P): The NBQC-P assesses, through parents' responses, children's usual behaviours before going to sleep and during the night. It consists of three subscales: need for company, problems during the night and problems going to sleep. It contains 13 items, with a Likert-type response scale from 0 (Never or almost never) to 4 (Always or almost always). A higher score on each dimension implies a greater need for company to sleep, greater resistance before going to bed and greater interference with night-time awakenings.
Adaptive nocturnal behaviours	Pre- and post-intervention assessment (treatment lasts 4-5 weeks). There will also be a follow-up assessment 12 months after the end of the intervention.	What I Can Do At Night - Parent Form (WICDAN-P): It assesses, through parents, children's ability to perform adaptive night-time behaviours during the last week. The scale consists of 11 items, with a 3-point response scale (0 = No; 1 = Yes, with difficulty or hesitation; 2 = Yes, with ease). The total score of the questionnaire is from 0 to 22. A higher score indicates adaptive night-time behaviour.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Universidad Miguel Hernández; 🇪🇸 Elche, Alicante, Spain