Intervention Effects of Group Sandplay Therapy on Children at Risk of Smartphone Addiction: Focusing on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in the Korean Youth Self Report
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Participants
2.3. Intervention
2.4. Measures
2.4.1. Youth Smartphone Addiction Scale (S-Scale)
2.4.2. Korean Youth Self Report: K-YSR
2.5. Statistical Analysis
2.6. Ethics Statement
3. Results
3.1. Participant Demographics
3.2. Changes in K-YSR After GST Intervention
4. Discussion and Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Directives | Session | Sandplay Therapy Activities |
---|---|---|
Departure | 1 | Feel the texture of the sand and express your thoughts and feelings. |
Self-emotional contact | 2 | Close your eyes. Touch the sand and express the emotions that arise from its texture in the sand tray. |
3 | Express the emotions you feel when recalling past memories. | |
Conflict and struggle | 4 | Express any negative emotions you’re experiencing right now. |
5 | Recall and express an image of a hero overcoming hardship and adversity. | |
Family, friends, school | 6 | Express your feelings while thinking about your family. |
7 | Express your thoughts and feelings about friends and school. | |
Self-understanding and acceptance | 8 | Express yourself in the sand tray. |
9 | Recall the sandwork you’ve created thus far and express your feelings. | |
Integration | 10 | Imagine and express a new version of yourself. |
Variables | Intervention (n = 52) | Control (n = 47) | t/χ² | p Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Age | 11.46 ± 0.50 | 11.30 ± 0.46 | 8.83 | 0.09 |
Sex | 0.658 | 0.42 | ||
Male | 18 (34.6) | 20 (42.6) | ||
Female | 34 (65.4) | 27 (57.4) |
Variables | Group (N) | Mean ± SD | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pre | Post | Group F (p) | Time F (p) | Group × Time F (p) | η2 Interaction | ||
Smartphone Addiction | Intervention (52) | 36.98 ± 6.18 | 32.35 ± 6.38 | 16.425 *** (3.7 × 10−4) | 19.311 *** (3.3 × 10−5) | 7.355 * (0.020) | 0.071 |
Control (47) | 29.30 ± 4.65 | 29.15 ± 6.72 | |||||
Anxiety/Depression | Intervention (52) | 61.02 ± 10.08 | 55.92 ± 9.99 | 3.712 (0.158) | 10.685 ** (0.002) | 3.792 (0.069) | 0.038 |
Control (47) | 55.98 ± 9.47 | 55.45 ± 8.77 | |||||
Withdrawal/Depression | Intervention (52) | 61.35 ± 10.60 | 57.21 ± 9.86 | 5.540 * (0.032) | 5.506 * (0.021) | 3.863 (0.093) | 0.038 |
Control (47) | 54.85 ± 8.28 | 55.36 ± 7.88 | |||||
Somatic Symptoms | Intervention (52) | 56.73 ± 6.52 | 54.10 ± 7.23 | 3.89 (0.391) | 0.589 (0.445) | 4.542 * (0.040) | 0.045 |
Control (47) | 54.28 ± 7.05 | 55.89 ± 7.77 | |||||
Delinquent Behavior | Intervention (52) | 55.46 ± 7.20 | 54.90 ± 6.53 | 2.149 (0.278) | 0.080 (0.778) | 2.332 (0.453) | 0.023 |
Control (47) | 53.43 ± 4.17 | 54.38 ± 5.46 | |||||
Aggressive Behavior | Intervention (52) | 58.71 ± 8.40 | 54.98 ± 7.44 | 0.391 (0.535) | 6.638 ** (0.012) | 2.937 (0.264) | 0.029 |
Control (47) | 55.74 ± 7.07 | 55.83 ± 7.79 | |||||
Social Problems | Intervention (52) | 60.15 ± 8.36 | 58.19 ± 9.76 | 1.069 (0.333) | 1.771 (0.187) | 4.865 (0.314) | 0.048 |
Control (47) | 55.62 ± 7.99 | 57.21 ± 8.90 | |||||
Thought Problems | Intervention (52) | 60.54 ± 9.25 | 58.19 ± 9.76 | 4.359 ** (0.044) | 2.120 (0.149) | 0.849 (0.380) | 0.036 |
Control (47) | 55.47 ± 7.35 | 55.28 ± 8.43 | |||||
Attention Problems | Intervention (52) | 57.46 ± 9.57 | 53.77 ± 7.53 | 2.900 (0.134) | 3.485 (0.066) | 2.447 (0.232) | 0.025 |
Control (47) | 52.64 ± 5.36 | 53.04 ± 6.47 |
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Lee, Y.H.; Shin, H.; Bae, E.; Lee, Y.; Lee, C.M.; Shim, S.H.; Kim, M.S.; Lim, M.H. Intervention Effects of Group Sandplay Therapy on Children at Risk of Smartphone Addiction: Focusing on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in the Korean Youth Self Report. Children 2025, 12, 593. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12050593
Lee YH, Shin H, Bae E, Lee Y, Lee CM, Shim SH, Kim MS, Lim MH. Intervention Effects of Group Sandplay Therapy on Children at Risk of Smartphone Addiction: Focusing on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in the Korean Youth Self Report. Children. 2025; 12(5):593. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12050593
Chicago/Turabian StyleLee, Yang Hee, Heajin Shin, Eunju Bae, Youngil Lee, Chang Min Lee, Se Hoon Shim, Min Sun Kim, and Myung Ho Lim. 2025. "Intervention Effects of Group Sandplay Therapy on Children at Risk of Smartphone Addiction: Focusing on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in the Korean Youth Self Report" Children 12, no. 5: 593. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12050593
APA StyleLee, Y. H., Shin, H., Bae, E., Lee, Y., Lee, C. M., Shim, S. H., Kim, M. S., & Lim, M. H. (2025). Intervention Effects of Group Sandplay Therapy on Children at Risk of Smartphone Addiction: Focusing on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in the Korean Youth Self Report. Children, 12(5), 593. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12050593