Clinical Psychology, Vol. 5 No. 1-2, 2012.
Professional paper
The evaluation of the volunteer program “Storytellers for good night in children's hospital Kantrida”: What do the children and parents say?
Sanja Tatalović Vorkapić
orcid.org/0000-0002-9170-8455
; Faculty of Education,University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Lucija Jančec
; Rikard Katalinić Jeretov primary school, Opatija, Croatia
Ksenija Vičić
; Portić, Professional society for child wellbeing, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
The purpose of the evaluation of the programme: “Storytellers for good night in Children’s hospital Kantrida”, was to analyse its successfulness through questioning hospitalized children and their parents about their attitudes toward storytellers, their telling stories and the existence of a significant relationship between storytelling and
the hospitalization effect. The evaluation was conducted at the Hematology and Oncology Department of the Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka. Children who were hospitalized at the time of this research participated in the study with written parental consent. The study included 15 children aged from 3 to 17 and 15 parents, ⅔ of whom were mothers. The evaluation inquiry, which was completed by children and parents, was designed especially for the purposes of this study. The investigation was voluntary, anonymous and confidential. Statistical analysis of children’ and parents’ evaluations showed no significant differences between them. Overall, children and parents
estimated stories, storytellers and storytelling very positively, as well as the whole programmes’ activity. It was determined that storytelling is significantly connected with lower hospitalization effect, since storytellers’ arrivals was correlated with easier hospital stay, hospital adjustment and the belief in recovery or an optimistic view of
the illness. Therefore, the evaluation results showed a significant reduction of negative hospitalization effect, which must be taken into account when considering future work of the Hematology and Oncology department in CHC Rijeka, and future work of the
professional association for the promotion of child welfare “Portić”.
Keywords
storytellers; programme evaluation; attitudes of children and parents
Hrčak ID:
158526
URI
Publication date:
17.12.2012.
Visits: 1.305 *