Effects of traditional Chinese culture-based bibliotherapy on the spiritual health of patients with liver cancer.

BACKGROUND: Liver cancer is a serious global health problem and is associated with poor spiritual health. Bibliotherapy is beneficial in improving health outcomes in cancer patients, yet there is a lack of empirical evidence of its effect on the spiritual health of liver cancer patients in China. The study aimed to investigate the effects of bibliotherapy based on Chinese traditional culture on the spiritual health of patients with liver cancer in China. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hunan Normal University School of Medicine and registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry with the registration (No: 2021260), which registration in June 30th 2021. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with liver cancer were divided into the intervention group (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30) through WeChat. The intervention group received bibliotherapy therapy based on traditional Chinese culture, while the control group received routine care. Spiritual health was assessed using the Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List (SAIL) and compared before and after the intervention between the two groups. The chi-square test and t-test were used to analyze the intervention effects. RESULTS: The two groups were comparable in all baseline characteristics including the SAIL score. After 5 weeks of intervention, the score of SAIL increased significantly from 96.76 ± 15.08 to 106.93 ± 13.82 in the intervention group (t = - 29.380, p < 0.001), while no significant difference in SAIL score was observed in the control group (from 95.27 ± 16.40 to 95.31 ± 16.24, t = - 0.189, p = 0.852). Similar patterns were also observed in its three dimensions of connecting with oneself, connecting with the environment, and connecting with transcendence. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that bibliotherapy based on traditional Chinese culture using the WeChat platform can greatly improve the spiritual health of patients with liver cancer and has the potential to be widely applied to cancer patients to improve their well-being.

Efficacy of an online cognitive behavioral therapy program developed for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: the REduction of STress (REST) study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The acknowledgment of the mental health toll of the COVID-19 epidemic in healthcare workers has increased considerably as the disease evolved into a pandemic status. Indeed, high prevalence rates of depression, sleep disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been reported in Chinese healthcare workers during the epidemic peak. Symptoms of psychological distress are expected to be long-lasting and have a systemic impact on healthcare systems, warranting the need for evidence-based psychological treatments aiming at relieving immediate stress and preventing the onset of psychological disorders in this population. In the current COVID-19 context, internet-based interventions have the potential to circumvent the pitfalls of face-to-face formats and provide the flexibility required to facilitate accessibility to healthcare workers. Online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in particular has proved to be effective in treating and preventing a number of stress-related disorders in populations other than healthcare workers. The aim of our randomized controlled trial study protocol is to evaluate the efficacy of the 'My Health too' CBT program-a program we have developed for healthcare workers facing the pandemic-on immediate perceived stress and on the emergence of psychiatric disorders at 3- and 6-month follow-up compared to an active control group (i.e., bibliotherapy). METHODS: Powered for superiority testing, this six-site open trial involves the random assignment of 120 healthcare workers with stress levels > 16 on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) to either the 7-session online CBT program or bibliotherapy. The primary outcome is the decrease of PSS-10 scores at 8 weeks. Secondary outcomes include depression, insomnia, and PTSD symptoms; self-reported resilience and rumination; and credibility and satisfaction. Assessments are scheduled at pretreatment, mid-treatment (at 4 weeks), end of active treatment (at 8 weeks), and at 3-month and 6-month follow-up. DISCUSSION: This is the first study assessing the efficacy and the acceptability of a brief online CBT program specifically developed for healthcare workers. Given the potential short- and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers' mental health, but also on healthcare systems, our findings can significantly impact clinical practice and management of the ongoing, and probably long-lasting, health crisis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04362358 , registered on April 24, 2020.

Tell Me A Story: Promoting resiliency in military children with a bibliotherapy intervention.

PURPOSE: Research demonstrates the complex effect of the military lifestyle on children of military members. Problem behaviors can manifest in military children as young as 6 years old (eg, physical violence). Some military children have better outcomes (ie, resiliency). These differences in outcomes are not fully understood; literature agrees that parent's interaction with their children predicts resiliency. Nurses can utilize resiliency interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of families. Tell Me A Story (TMAS), a bibliotherapy intervention, role models for parents reading with their children, using story as a platform to deal with issues in a safe way. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if child resiliency increased and problem behavior decreased with TMAS participation. DESIGN AND METHODS: A community-based study examined the impact of TMAS intervention on parent's perceptions of their school-aged children's behavior. Participants were active-duty military parents, recruited on or near seven military installations in the continental United States. RESULTS: Child problem behavior showed a change from baseline, with sex and parental deployment factoring for improved or worsening behavior among children. Total and internalizing problem behavior scores increased after intervention if a parent was deployed. Girls experienced increased resiliency scores after TMAS intervention while boys experienced decreased scores. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Overall, TMAS intervention is beneficial for behavior and resiliency for some children and provides research for future programming offered by nurses for military families.

The Effect of Fiction on the Well-Being of Older Adults: A Longitudinal RCT Intervention Study Using Audiobooks / La influencia de la ficción en el bienestar de los adultos mayores: un estudio de intervención longitudinal de ensayo controlado aleatorizado mediante audiolibros

Research has examined the psychological benefits of fiction, particularly for socio-cognitive and interpersonal processes, but has yet to examine whether it can have an impact on individuals' personal well-being in a natural setting over time. A longitudinal randomized control trial (RCT) using audiobooks was conducted to compare the effects of fiction (novels, short stories) and non-fiction on the well-being (subjective, eudaimonic, social) of 94 older adults from diverse urbancommunities over a six-week period. Participants chose one of four books in the condition to which they were allocated. The participants in the fiction, compared to non-fiction, conditions did not show greater improvements in any aspect ofwell-being over the study period. However, regression analysis controlling for initial levels of well-being showed that individuals who reported greater absorption in, and appreciation of, their audiobook showed greater subsequent wellbeing, particularly meaning in life, that extended beyond book completion. The findings indicate that an audiobook can have a positive enduring impact on various aspects of older adults' well-being, but it depends on them having a personalengagement with its content, and not on its designation as fiction or non-fiction

Se han estudiado los beneficios psicológicos de la ficción, particularmente en procesos cognitivos e interpersonales, pero aún se desconoce si la ficción puede causar impacto en el bienestar en un entorno natural a largo plazo. El presente estudio utilizó un ensayo controlado aleatorizado longitudinal mediante audiolibros comparando los efectos de la ficción (novelas, cuentos) y de la no ficción sobre el bienestar (subjetivo, eudaimónico, social) de 94 adultos mayores de distintas comunidades urbanas durante un periodo de seis semanas. Los participantes escogieron uno de cuatro libros en la condición a la que fueron asignados. Los participantes de la condición de ficción, comparados con los de la no-ficción, no mostraron mejoras significativas en ningún aspecto del bienestar durante el periodo de estudio. Sin embargo, un análisis de regresión controlando los niveles iniciales de bienestar mostró que los sujetos que refirieron una mayor absorción y valoración del audiolibro también manifestaron un mayor bienestar posintervención, sobre todo en el sentido de la vida, que se extendió hasta después de la finalización del libro. Los resultados indican que un audiolibro puede tener un impacto positivo duradero en varios aspectos del bienestar de los adultos mayores, si bien depende de que estos se involucren personalmente con el contenido, independientemente de que el audiolibro sea ficción o no ficción

Reading the Child Within: How Bibliotherapy Can Help the Victim of Child Sexual Abuse.

Bibliotherapy, the use of storytelling as part of the healing process, has been successfully incorporated into clinical practice for a variety of indications including psychological trauma. This therapeutic modality, which incorporates mindful meditation, non-threatening use of metaphor, and autonomic regulation, can help children and adults alike, who are willing to engage in a story. Yet, bibliotherapy has not been widely adapted as a routine part of the therapeutic toolbox in the context of sufferers of childhood sexual abuse. Here, we review current practices regarding the adjunctive use of bibliotherapy for victims of child sexual abuse, touch upon the theoretical basis of bibliotherapy, and lay out a number of readily-useable strategies for implementing bibliotherapy in one's practice.

Desarrollo de la imaginación narrativa creadora en un niño con trastorno del espectro autista / Development of creative narrative imagination in a child with autism spectrum disorder

La imaginación narrativa creadora es una formación psicológica de la niñez que posibilita que los niños vean las cosas desde el punto de vista del otro. En el Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) esta formación psicológica tiene comprometido su desarrollo. El objetivo de este artículo es explicar de qué manera se desarrolla la imaginación narrativa creadora en un niño con TEA. Esta investigación es de diseño pre-test ­ post-test. La intervención se fundamentó en el uso de las actividades de lectura compartida de literatura infantil y juego narrativo a partir de una interacción comunicativa intencionada con una duración de tres años. Los resultados mostraron que las actividades de lectura compartida de literatura infantil y juego narrativo posibilitaron que el niño con TEA creara vínculos afectivos y que encontrara su propia voz para expresar su mundo interior, usando el lenguaje en un profundo dinamismo de interacciones comunicativas y sociales (utilizando para ello, el lenguaje verbal, no verbal y gestual, así como los silencios). Por consiguiente, tales actividades permitieron el desarrollo de la imaginación narrativa creadora, lo que contribuye a la prevención de dificultades de salud mental en el niño con TEA.

The creative narrative imagination is a psychological formation of childhood that enables children to see things from the other's point of view. In Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) this psychological training has its development compromised. The purpose of this article is to explain how creative narrative imagination develops in a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This research is of pre-test - posttest design. The intervention used shared reading activities of children's literature and narrative play based on an intentional interaction for three years. The results show that these activities enable the child with ASD to create emotional bonds and to find his or her voice to express his or her inner world using language. Therefore, they allow the full development of creative narrative imagination, which contributes to the prevention of mental health difficulties in children with ASD.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of parenting interventions for the prevention of behaviour problems in children.

BACKGROUND: Behavior problems are common among children and place a high disease and financial burden on individuals and society. Parenting interventions are commonly used to prevent such problems, but little is known about their possible longer-term economic benefits. This study modelled the longer-term cost-effectiveness of five parenting interventions delivered in a Swedish context: Comet, Connect, the Incredible Years (IY), COPE, bibliotherapy, and a waitlist control, for the prevention of persistent behavior problems. METHODS: A decision analytic model was developed and used to forecast the cost per averted disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) by each parenting intervention and the waitlist control, for children aged 5-12 years. Age-specific cohorts were modelled until the age of 18. Educational and health care sector costs related to behavior problems were included. Active interventions were compared to the waitlist control as well as to each other. RESULTS: Intervention costs ranged between US$ 14 (bibliotherapy) to US$ 1,300 (IY) per child, with effects of up to 0.23 averted DALYs per child (IY). All parenting interventions were cost-effective at a threshold of US$ 15,000 per DALY in relation to the waitlist control. COPE and bibliotherapy strongly dominated the other options, and an additional US$ 2,629 would have to be invested in COPE to avert one extra DALY, in comparison to bibliotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Parenting interventions are cost-effective in the longer run in comparison to a waitlist control. Bibliotherapy or COPE are the most efficient options when comparing interventions to one another. Optimal decision for investment should to be based on budget considerations and priority settings.

Positive Psychology for Overcoming Symptoms of Depression: A Pilot Study Exploring the Efficacy of a Positive Psychology Self-Help Book versus a CBT Self-Help Book.

BACKGROUND: Depression is an extremely common mental health disorder, with prevalence rates rising. Low-intensity interventions are frequently used to help meet the demand for treatment. Bibliotherapy, for example, is often prescribed via books on prescription schemes (for example 'Reading Well' in England) to those with mild to moderate symptomology. Bibliotherapy can effectively reduce symptoms of depression (Naylor et al., 2010). However, the majority of self-help books are based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which may not be suitable for all patients. Research supports the use of positive psychology interventions for the reduction of depression symptoms (Bolier et al., 2013) and as such self-help books from this perspective should be empirically tested. AIMS: This study aimed to test the efficacy of 'Positive Psychology for Overcoming Depression' (Akhtar, 2012), a self-help book for depression that is based on the principles of positive psychology, in comparison with a CBT self-help book that is currently prescribed in England as part of the Reading Well books on prescription scheme. METHOD: Participants (n = 115) who were not receiving treatment, but had symptoms of depression, read the positive psychology or the CBT self-help book for 8 weeks. Depression and well-being were measured at baseline, post-test and 1-month follow-up. RESULTS: Results suggest that both groups experienced a reduction in depression and an increase in well-being, with no differences noted between the two books. CONCLUSIONS: Future directions are discussed in terms of dissemination, to those with mild to moderate symptoms of depression, via books on prescription schemes.

Rethinking bibliotherapy: a neurorhetoric narratology model for addiction treatment.

This study sought to revise the collection development policy for a bibliotherapy library used by the residents at a women's AOD treatment centre in Tampa, Florida (USA). The research was conducted by Peter Cannon as part of his PhD on rhetoric and reading therapies. The article summarises the key findings from a reading preference survey of the residents and a semi-structured group interview of the mental health professionals at the centre. The results are used to support the development of a new bibliotherapy model that Peter has termed neurorhetoric narratology. Preliminary findings suggest this new model can offer the residents a new bibliotherapy track that employs less emotionally triggering texts that will be useful for treatment.

La lectura y su relación con la salud y el bienestar de las personas / Reading and its relation with the health and well-being of people

El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar los elementos de la lectura que nos implican más poderosamente en esta actividad y su relación con la salud. Para esto se diseñó y distribuyó una encuesta entre personas que habitualmente leen, pertenecientes a las Comunidades autónomas de Castilla y León, Extremadura, Madrid y Asturias. En esta, los encuestados tenían que valorar aquellos aspectos que consideraban más importantes para ellos respecto a la lectura: tranquilidad, diversión, información y otros. Recogidas y analizadas 255 respuestas, los resultados pusieron de relieve que por encima de las funciones tradicionales relacionadas con las actividades formativas e informativas, lo que más valoran los encuestados son los aspectos protectores de la lectura, como paliar la soledad, evitar pensamientos negativos y gestionar mejor las emociones(AU)

The aim of this study was to try to identify the elements of reading that involve us most powerfully in this activity, in order to determine how reading habits affect health. To this end, a survey was designed and distributed among people who habitually read, from the Autonomous Communities of Castilla y León, Extremadura, Madrid, and Asturias. In this, the respondents had to assess those aspects that they considered most important for them regarding reading: tranquility, fun, information, and others. Collected and analyzed 255 responses, the results highlight that, above traditional functions related to training and information, the respondents valued most the healing aspects of reading, such as alleviating loneliness, avoiding negative thoughts and managing emotions better(AU)

La lectura y su relación con la salud y el bienestar de las personas / Reading and its relation with the health and well-being of people

El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar los elementos de la lectura que nos implican más poderosamente en esta actividad y su relación con la salud. Para esto se diseñó y distribuyó una encuesta entre personas que habitualmente leen, pertenecientes a las Comunidades autónomas de Castilla y León, Extremadura, Madrid y Asturias. En esta, los encuestados tenían que valorar aquellos aspectos que consideraban más importantes para ellos respecto a la lectura: tranquilidad, diversión, información y otros. Recogidas y analizadas 255 respuestas, los resultados pusieron de relieve que por encima de las funciones tradicionales relacionadas con las actividades formativas e informativas, lo que más valoran los encuestados son los aspectos protectores de la lectura, como paliar la soledad, evitar pensamientos negativos y gestionar mejor las emociones(AU)

The aim of this study was to try to identify the elements of reading that involve us most powerfully in this activity, in order to determine how reading habits affect health. To this end, a survey was designed and distributed among people who habitually read, from the Autonomous Communities of Castilla y León, Extremadura, Madrid, and Asturias. In this, the respondents had to assess those aspects that they considered most important for them regarding reading: tranquility, fun, information, and others. Collected and analyzed 255 responses, the results highlight that, above traditional functions related to training and information, the respondents valued most the healing aspects of reading, such as alleviating loneliness, avoiding negative thoughts and managing emotions better(AU)

[New frontiers of therapy: bibliotherapy.] / Le nuove frontiere della terapia: la biblioterapia.

Authors discuss therapeutic potential of reading activity, partially still unknown. Starting from Menninger's work in the early 30's until most recent studies from Frude, Berns, Comer who confirmed its efficacy in both the so-called non-organic diseases and chronic pathological conditions. Their studies strongly suggested psychobiological mechanisms through which reading activity exerts its therapeutic effects. The Authors of this paper hope that bibliotherapy in the next future may become a suitable tool in the therapeutical management of the these diseases.

Brief treatment for nighttime fears and co-sleeping problems: A randomized clinical trial.

Sixty-eight 4-6 year old children who co-slept with their parents and who avoided sleeping alone due to intense nighttime fears were randomized to a brief combined parent-based intervention (CBT-based bibliotherapy plus doll) or a wait list control group. After the waiting period, the wait list participants were offered treatment. Co-sleeping patterns, sleep records, anxiety, general fears, and behavior problems were assessed with parent-report measures. Nighttime fears were assessed with parent-report measures and a single item visual analogue scale for the young children. Assessments were completed pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at 3 months following treatment. Results showed that the combined intervention was superior to the wait list control condition and that treatment effects were maintained at 3-month follow-up. This study provides initial support for use of CBT-based bibliotherapy plus doll in the treatment of nighttime fears. Such a treatment might be used to supplement standard CBT approaches in routine clinical practice or in a stepped care approach to treatment.

Bibliotherapy: Appraisal of Evidence for Patients Diagnosed With Cancer

An appraisal of the evidence on the efficacy of bibliotherapy on anxiety, distress, and coping in patients with cancer is lacking in the literature. Bibliotherapy is a self-help intervention using a variety of tools, such as self-help workbooks, pamphlets, novels, and audiobooks, to improve mental health. This review identified nine original research articles that examined bibliotherapy as an intervention to alleviate the psychological issues associated with a cancer diagnosis. Data synthesis from these studies provides preliminary evidence that bibliotherapy is an acceptable and beneficial adjunct therapy for patients with cancer experiencing anxiety, depression, and ineffective coping.

Reading and recovery expectations: Implementing a recovery-oriented bibliotherapy program in an acute inpatient psychiatric setting.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of developing a recovery-oriented book club in an acute inpatient psychiatric setting, and the impact of participation on measures of hope and recovery orientation. METHOD: Participants were recruited from an inpatient psychiatric hospital and assigned to control (N = 13) or experimental (N = 13) conditions. Participants completed the Herth Hope Index (HHI) and the Mental Health Confidence Scale (MHCS) at baseline and follow-up. Book club participants completed a satisfaction survey. ANOVA was performed to examine changes on HHI and MHCS. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between conditions on HHI or MHCS. On the satisfaction survey, most book club participants agreed "somewhat" or "strongly" that the intervention increased self-understanding (92.3%) and hope (61.6%). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Book club groups may help individuals in inpatient psychiatric settings feel more hopeful. Future research may examine the adaptability of this intervention for outpatient settings. (PsycINFO Database Record

Exploring Engagement in Shared Reading Activities Between Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caregivers.

Reading aloud to children is a valued practice to promote emergent literacy and language skills that form the foundation for future reading success. We conducted a descriptive study of shared book reading practices between caregivers and their children with autism spectrum disorder (n = 17) and caregivers and their typically developing children (n = 20) to identify factors that can promote or inhibit children's engagement in reading. Caregivers and their children read nine books (familiar, non-fiction, fiction). Children with ASD demonstrated lower levels of passive engagement (looking at the book) and higher levels of non-engaged behavior compared to typically developing children. Caregiver reading quality and book type contributed to joint engagement during reading. Implications of these findings for intervention development are discussed.

Cost-effectiveness and long-term follow-up of three forms of minimal-contact cognitive behaviour therapy for severe health anxiety: Results from a randomised controlled trial.

Strategies to increase the availability of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for severe health anxiety (SHA) are needed, and this study investigated the cost-effectiveness and long-term efficacy of three forms of minimal-contact CBT for SHA. We hypothesised that therapist-guided internet CBT (G-ICBT), unguided internet CBT (U-ICBT), and cognitive behavioural bibliotherapy (BIB-CBT) would all be more cost-effective than a waiting-list condition (WLC), as assessed over the main phase of the trial. We also hypothesised that improvements would remain stable up to one-year follow-up. Adults (N = 132) with principal SHA were randomised to 12 weeks of G-ICBT, U-ICBT, BIB-CBT, or WLC. The primary measure of cost-effectiveness was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, or the between-group difference in per capita costs divided by the between-group difference in proportion of participants in remission. The Health anxiety inventory (HAI) was the primary efficacy outcome. G-ICBT, U-ICBT, and BIB-CBT were more cost-effective than the WLC. Over the follow-up period, the G-ICBT and BIB-CBT groups made further improvements in health anxiety, whereas the U-ICBT group did not change. As expected, all three treatments were cost-effective with persistent long-term effects. CBT without therapist support appears to be a valuable alternative to G-ICBT for scaling up treatment for SHA.

Fiction-reading for good or ill: eating disorders, interpretation and the case for creative bibliotherapy research.

Compared with self-help bibliotherapy, little is known about the efficacy of creative bibliotherapy or the mechanisms of its possible efficacy for eating disorders or any other mental health condition. It is clear, however, that fiction is widely used informally as a therapeutic or antitherapeutic tool and that it has considerable potential in both directions, with a possibly significant distinction between the effects of reading fiction about eating disorders (which may-contrary to theoretical predictions-be broadly negative in effect) or one's preferred genre of other fiction (which may be broadly positive). Research on creative bibliotherapy, especially systematic experimental research, is lacking and requires a medical humanities approach, drawing on knowledge and methods from psychology and cognitive literary studies as well as clinical disciplines to expand our understanding of how the dynamic processes of interpretation mediate between textual structures and characteristics of mental health and illness.

La literatura como instrumento terapéutico en el proceso salud-enfermedad durante la infancia / Literature as a therapeutic instrument in the health-disease process in childhood

Introducción: Todas las personas, a lo largo de la vida deben adecuarse a innumerables situaciones en las que se ven involucradas; es por ello que resulta necesario comprender cada una de ellas para poder avanzar adecuadamente. Se ha observado que las terapias psicológicas, entre las que se encuentra la biblioterapia, son efectivas para comprender los cambios a los que se enfrentan las personas. Objetivo: Analizar y destacar los efectos más relevantes de la utilización de la literatura en el proceso salud-enfermedad del niño en diferentes momentos y contextos. Método: Se ha realizado una revisión de la literatura mediante la búsqueda bibliográfica en las bases de datos Dialnet, Cuiden Plus, LILACS, Medline, Proquest, Pubmed, Scielo, Scopus, TDR, Trip y Biblioteca Virtual de la Salud. Resultados: Tras la búsqueda bibliográfica se identificaron 2018 artículos de los cuales, tras la aplicación de filtros y criterios de inclusión, se obtuvieron 71 artículos. Finalmente se seleccionaron 26 artículos. Conclusiones: La biblioterapia resulta beneficiosa en diversos ámbitos relacionados con el proceso salud-enfermedad durante la infancia, mejorando entre otras cosas la autoestima y la aceptación de la realidad, promoviendo el bienestar psicológico y sirviendo de puente en la comunicación entre el individuo y el profesional de la salud

Introduction: Everybody, throughout their life, must adapt to countless situations in which they are involved; that is why it is necessary to understand each of them in order to advance properly. It has been observed that psychological therapies, among which bibliotherapy is, are effective to understand the changes that people face. Objective: To analyze and highlight the most relevant effects of the use of literature on the child's health-disease process at different times and contexts. Method: A review of the literature was performed through the bibliographic research in the databases Dialnet, Cuiden Plus, LILACS, Medline, Proquest, Pubmed, Scielo, Scopus, TDR, Trip and Virtual Health Library. Results: After the bibliographic research, 2018 articles were identified, out of which 71 articles were obtained after applying filters and inclusion criteria. Finally, 26 articles were selected. Conclusions: Bibliotherapy is beneficial in various areas related to the health-disease process during childhood, improving among other things self-esteem and acceptance of reality, promoting psychological well-being and serving as a bridge in communication between the individual and the health professional

Skills Vs. Pills: Comparative Effectiveness for Low Sexual Desire in Women.

This study compared the effectiveness of a skill-based bibliotherapy intervention and a placebo pill intervention purported to be efficacious in increasing women's sexual desire. Forty-five participants were randomized into the two groups after completing pretest measures of sexual desire and functioning. After completing their interventions, participants completed 6-week posttest and 12-week follow-up measures. Results demonstrated that when compared to the placebo pill group, the bibliotherapy group made statistically greater gains from pretest to follow-up in sexual desire and satisfaction. Nevertheless, the placebo pill group evidenced short-term improvements in sexual desire over time. Findings have implications for future research and current treatments for low sexual desire in women.