The Effectiveness of Film Therapy (Inside-Out Film) on Separation Anxiety of Children Referred to Mashhad Counseling Centers : A Case Report

Abstract

Introduction: Separation anxiety disorder is considered to be the most common psychiatric disorder in children that seriously affects their mental health. So adopting treatment approaches for this disorder is very important. The purpose of this study was the effectiveness of filmtherapy (Inside-Out Film) on separation anxiety disorder (SAD) of Children Referred to Mashhad Counseling Centers. Materials and Methods: The research method is single case study and A-B-A design. The sample people were 3 girls 11-12 years old with separation anxiety disorder in Mashhad in the academic year 20182019 who referred to Ehya clinic with separation anxiety complaint that had been previously diagnosed by a psychiatrist. They were selected through purposive sampling method. The tools were Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-I) and Zang anxiety questionnaire. To analyze the data, the method of diagrams and calculating the recovery rate and the index of non-overlapping data percentage (PAND) were used to evaluate the effect size. Results: The anxiety scores from Pre-test and post-test was reduced from 59 to 48 with recovery rate (23%) in the first patient, in the second patient from 52 to 44 with recovery rate (18%) and in the third patient from 50 to 40 with a recovery rate (25%). Conclusion: The (inside out) film can be used as an effective way to reduce separation anxiety in children.